ABF Freight System, Inc.', announced that September 17th, 2009, marked the 25th anniversary of the ABF Quality Process.

'Quality performance tracks back to the company's origins in 1923,' said ABF' President and Chief Operating Officer Wes Kemp. 'However, in 1984 ABF took the bold step of formally institutionalizing the four absolutes of Quality, resulting in management and employees being better equipped to resolve and prevent problems. Without a doubt, the ABF Quality Process has played a key role in our success and is now engrained in our company's culture.'

All ABF employees are trained to be versatile and detail-oriented. ABF service centers routinely undergo extensive quality evaluations, including a quality awareness survey, an on-site validation audit, and scrutiny by the ABF Quality Implementation Committee. The comprehensive process gauges resource management, damage/loss prevention, customer satisfaction, and other key performance indicators. The highest internal recognition an individual ABF service center can earn is the President's Quality Award, which annually recognizes locations that best exemplify the ABF Quality Process.

Education through quality seminars, job-skills training, focus groups and designated quality teams have ensured that quality at ABF is a process, not merely a program. Based on principles articulated by the late Philip Crosby, the process emphasizes ongoing prevention rather than end-of-line inspection. Identifying and eliminating the causes of problems saves money and requires no additional expenditure.

'We believe our customers deserve error-free service,' said Mr. Kemp. 'ABF's ability to provide extraordinary customer care hinges upon the training, experience and responsiveness of our local service center personnel. We are committed to having the best people, facilities, equipment, and transportation tools in the industry. Our company has prospered because of our dedication to serving internal and external customers in a helpful, efficient, innovative and error-free manner.'