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                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.4


                                   AMENDMENT
                                     TO THE
                           ARKANSAS BEST CORPORATION
                               STOCK OPTION PLAN


         The Arkansas Best Corporation Stock Option Plan (the "Plan") is hereby
amended as follows:

         The Plan is hereby amended by deleting Section 4(b) in its entirety
and replacing it with the following:

                 Members of the Committee shall be specified by the Board of
         Directors, and shall consist solely of Disinterested Directors and as
         such shall not be eligible to receive options to purchase Common Stock
         pursuant to Section 4(a) of the Plan. On May 12, 1994, and on the
         first trading day after (i) January 1, 1995, and (ii) each January 1st
         thereafter, each Disinterested Director serving as a Committee Member
         shall automatically be granted non-qualified options to purchase 7,500
         shares of the Company's Common Stock at an exercise price per share
         equal to the closing price of the Common Stock on the date of such
         automatic grant. This Section 4(b) shall not be amended more than once
         each six months, other than to comport with changes in the Code or the
         rules promulgated thereunder.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Arkansas Best Corporation, acting by and through
its officers hereunto duly authorized, has executed this Amendment to the Plan,
to be effective the 10th day of May, 1994.

                                   ARKANSAS BEST CORPORATION


                                   By: /s/ Robert A. Young III 
                                      ----------------------------------------
                                       Robert A. Young III 
                                       President and Chief Executive Officer





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                                   AMENDMENT
                                     TO THE
                           ARKANSAS BEST CORPORATION
                               STOCK OPTION PLAN


         The Arkansas Best Corporation Stock Option Plan (the "Plan") is hereby
amended as follows:

         1.      The Plan is hereby amended by replacing the number "1,000,000"
with the number "2,000,000" in the first sentence of Section 3.

         2.      The Plan is hereby amended by adding the following to the end
of Section 5:

                 "In connection with the granting of options under this Plan,
                 the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issuable to any
                 single Optionee shall not exceed the number of shares subject
                 to the Plan referred to in Section 3."

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Arkansas Best Corporation, acting by and through
its officers hereunto duly authorized, has executed this Amendment to the Plan,
to be effective the 9th day of May, 1995.

                                   ARKANSAS BEST CORPORATION


                                   By: /s/ Robert A. Young III 
                                      ----------------------------------------
                                       Robert A. Young III 
                                       President and Chief Executive Officer