Arkansas Best’s 1Q Income Jumps

Arkansas Best Corp.’s first-quarter profit jumped 78% to $8.5 million, or 34 cents a share, from $4.8 million, or 19 cents, a year earlier.

Revenue rose 5% to $447.5 million, ABF said Wednesday.

Arkansas Best’s largest subsidiary, ABF Freight System, had first-quarter revenue of $427.7 million, up from $412.6 million a year earlier. Operating income jumped to $12.9 million, from $5.8 million in the first quarter of 2007.

“Though business levels remain depressed, quarterly year-over-year tonnage trends have continued to improve since the third quarter of 2007,” said Chief Executive Officer Robert Davidson.

“ABF continues to benefit from additional shipments moving in regional freight lanes,” he said in a statement.

Arkansas Best Corp. is ranked No. 16 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.