Amendment Description Amendment Flag Current Fiscal Year End Date Document Period End Date Document Type Entity [Domain] Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer Entity Voluntary Filers Entity Current Reporting Status Entity Filer Category Entity Public Float Entity Registrant Name Entity Central Index Key Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding Document Fiscal Year Focus Document Fiscal Period Focus Legal Entity [Axis] Accounts Receivable, Net, Current Accounts receivable, less allowances (2011 - $5,957; 2010 - $3,944) Total after-tax amount Accumulated other comprehensive loss Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired Business acquisition, net of cash acquired Additional Paid in Capital, Common Stock Additional paid-in capital Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable, Current Accounts receivable, allowances (in dollars) Other Amortization of Deferred Charges Other amortization CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD Cash [Member] Cash deposits Certificates of Deposit [Member] Certificates of deposit Increase (Decrease) in Receivables Receivables Common Stock, Shares Authorized Common stock, authorized shares Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent Total comprehensive loss Total comprehensive income (loss) Total comprehensive income (loss) Direct Communications and Utilities Costs Communications and utilities Insurance Operating Insurance and Claims Costs, Production Operating taxes and licenses Cost of Services, Direct Taxes and Licenses Costs Current Income Tax Expense (Benefit) Current provision (benefit) Current provision (benefit) Liabilities, Current [Abstract] CURRENT LIABILITIES Liabilities, Current TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations, Current Current portion of long-term debt Less current portion Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations LONG-TERM DEBT, less current portion Long-term debt, less current portion Long-term debt, less current portion Debt Instrument [Axis] Debt Instrument [Line Items] Financing Arrangements Long-term debt obligations Deferred Income Tax Expense (Benefit) Deferred provision (benefit) Deferred income tax provision (benefit) Deferred provision (benefit) Earnings Per Share, Diluted Diluted (in dollars per share) Earnings (loss) per common share (in dollars per share) Effective Income Tax Rate, Continuing Operations Effective tax (benefit) rate (as a percent) Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate Statutory federal rate (as a percent) Share-based Compensation Share-based compensation expense Accrued Environmental Loss Contingencies, Current Estimated environmental clean-up costs of properties currently or previously operated by the company Payments of Financing Costs Deferred financing costs Gain (Loss) on Sale of Property Plant Equipment Gain on sale of property and equipment CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block] INCOME TAXES Proceeds from Income Tax Refunds Refund of federal and state taxes paid in prior years (in dollars) Income tax refunds Increase (Decrease) in Other Operating Assets Other assets Interest Expense Interest expense and other related financing costs Salaries, wages and benefits Labor and Related Expense Leasehold Improvements, Gross Leasehold improvements Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity [Abstract] LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Liabilities and Equity TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity Maximum borrowing capacity Line of Credit Facility [Table] Loss Contingencies by Nature of Contingency [Axis] Loss Contingencies [Line Items] Loss contingencies Loss Contingencies [Table] Money Market Funds [Member] Money market funds Multiemployer Plans [Abstract] Multiemployer Plans Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Stockholders, Basic NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO ARKANSAS BEST CORPORATION Net income (loss) (excluding noncontrolling interest in net income of subsidiary of $272 and $367 for the Year ended 2010 and 2009 respectively) Adjusted net income (loss) RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS Description of New Accounting Pronouncements Not yet Adopted [Text Block] RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS Nonoperating Income (Expense) TOTAL OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE) Other income (expense), net Operating Income (Loss) OPERATING INCOME (LOSS) Operating income (loss) Revenues [Abstract] OPERATING REVENUES Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block] ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT PRESENTATION Other Assets, Current Other Payments of Dividends, Common Stock Payment of common stock dividends Nonunion Defined Benefit Pension Plan Pension Plans, Defined Benefit [Member] Defined Benefit Plan, Net Periodic Benefit Cost [Abstract] Components of net periodic benefit cost Defined Benefit Plan, Expected Return on Plan Assets Expected return on plan assets Defined Benefit Plan, Interest Cost Interest cost Defined Benefit Plan, Net Periodic Benefit Cost Net periodic benefit cost Defined Benefit Plan, Service Cost Service cost Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Disclosures [Axis] Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items] Employee Benefit Plans Stockholders' Equity Schedule of Defined Benefit Plans Disclosures [Table] Prepaid Expense, Current Prepaid expenses Proceeds from Issuance of Long-term Debt Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt Proceeds from Sale of Property, Plant, and Equipment Proceeds from sales of property and equipment Proceeds from Sale of Short-term Investments Proceeds from sales of short-term investments Property, Plant and Equipment, Gross TOTAL PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, GROSS TOTAL PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, GROSS Property, Plant and Equipment, Net TOTAL PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET Provision for Doubtful Accounts Provision for losses on accounts receivable Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment Purchases of property, plant and equipment, net of capital leases and notes payable Payments to Acquire Short-term Investments Purchases of short-term investments Repayments of Long-term Debt Payments on long-term debt Restricted Cash and Investments, Current Restricted cash equivalents and short-term investments Amounts of outstanding bonds collateralized by restricted funds Amounts collateralized by restricted funds Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit) Retained earnings OPERATING REVENUES Sales Revenue, Services, Net Operating revenues Schedule of Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Text Block] SCHEDULE II VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS AND RESERVES Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] FINANCIAL STATEMENT OPERATING SEGMENT DATA AND OPERATING RATIOS Segment reporting information Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment [Table] OPERATING SEGMENT DATA Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block] Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Forfeited in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Forfeited (in dollars per share) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Forfeited in Period Forfeited (in shares) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Granted (in dollars per share) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period Granted (in shares) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share) Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares) Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Vested (in dollars per share) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period Vested (in shares) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Authorized Number of shares authorized (in shares) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price Exercised (in dollars per share) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Forfeitures in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price Forfeited (in dollars per share) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Forfeitures in Period Forfeited (in shares) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price Granted (in dollars per share) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Net of Forfeitures Granted (in shares) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Intrinsic Value Options outstanding Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share) Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share) Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Number Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares) Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares) Schedule of Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Type and Plan Name [Axis] Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] Equity-based compensation Share-Based Compensation Schedule of Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award [Table] Short-term Investments Short-term investments Short-term investments Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block] ACCOUNTING POLICIES Payments to Develop Software Capitalization of internally developed software and other CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Parent [Abstract] STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Stockholders' Equity Note Disclosure [Text Block] GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Text Block] Income Taxes Paid Federal, state and foreign income taxes paid (in dollars) Income taxes paid before income tax refunds Assets, Current [Abstract] CURRENT ASSETS Assets, Current TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS Treasury Stock Treasury Stock [Member]