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Not Only Fools Rush In
by Steve Macleod
Manitoba's Bud Rush is an upfront kind of guy. He'll tell you what's on his mind – if you're willing to listen – and there's no BS in his stories. And lately, his stories have drawn a lot of interest. But it's not just the friendly banter. Rush is also up front when it comes to making purchases, including his trucks. "The truck I own now is 11 years old and it's the first new one I ever had," explains Rush, an owner-operator with Armstrong Moving and Storage of Mississauga, Ont. "I only bought that one because I could pay for it up front, and that took me 28 years." This frugal attitude has allowed Rush's owner-operator career to span four decades and it culminated recently with the 2008 CTA/Volvo Trucks Canada National Driver of the Year award. Winning the award has led to a media storm for the 59-year-old. He's been flooded with interview requests from local newspapers and radio stations, which is a little out of the ordinary for the Oakbank, Man. resident. Only a few days later though, and Rush was back in his comfort zone traveling across Canada with a load of household goods. "It's all still sinking in," Rush notes a week later at an Edmonton truckstop. "There's lots of deserving guys right across Canada and I was just lucky to clean it up." The annual award is selected from amongst provincial Driver of the Year award winners, an honor that Rush received in Manitoba back in June. With 6.6 million collision-free kilometers and a lot of community volunteer work under his belt, Rush earned the national award with more than just his business acumen. He Shoots, He Scores Driving truck wasn't exactly Rush's first career choice. He spent three years playing junior hockey in Manitoba with the St. James Canadians and after earning MVP honors in the cup championship, Rush was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. "I never dreamed it would happen," says Rush. "I just played hockey growing up like every other boy. It's not like today where they really train to get into the NHL." He was brought up to the big club for two games in 1970, but that would be the end of his professional career. A team doctor found Rush had an irregular heartbeat, so he failed his physical exam. After returning to Winnipeg, a specialist diagnosed the irregular heartbeat as a turbulence, which was actually caused by an unusually strong heart. But his pro career was behind him, so Rush played hockey at the University of Winnipeg while studying kinesiology. To pay his way through university, Rush upgraded his drivers' licence to a ‘chauffeur's' licence for a measly $2, and began delivering furniture. "My dad was a truck driver and he said to me after I got my driver's licence, ‘Son that is the most important paper you will ever have,' " recalls Rush. "No matter what you do with your life you have to get there. Although, he also said to me he didn't want me to drive truck, but he passed away the year after I was drafted." The money was good delivering furniture, so Rush cut his student career short and bought a truck. "I've been an owner-operator right from the start," adds Rush. "There was more money, the pride of ownership and I wanted to be self-employed." Even when Rush left university to be a professional driver, he didn't stop playing hockey and before long he was coaching in the community. He started with a eight years old and coached them right up to senior hockey, where he was also a player and coach. Obviously, Rush wanted to be home more often in the winter months, which wasn't too difficult, being self-employed. Rush also spent 15 years as a volunteer firefighter in his community and the firstaid training he took in that job has come in handy on the road.
He's helped countless people stranded by the side of the road and has attended three or four serious accidents. Some of those accidents ended in fatalities, but other times, Rush was able to comfort and attend to the victims until paramedics arrived. It turns out furniture pads have numerous uses. The Long Haul Rush lives by the motto: you get what you put in. He applies it to all aspects of his life and trucking has been no exception. Rush has spent his entire career delivering furniture. From 1972 to 2000 he was an owner-operator with an agent of United Van Lines and for the past eight years he's been contracted to another agent working under the United umbrella. He spent a couple of decades doing household moves. Moving furniture, appliances, and countless boxes has helped make Rush a young 59 years old. In the early 1990s Rush bought his first tandem truck so he could haul more containers. But an inability to say ‘no' has kept Rush moving household goods about half the time. But that inability to say ‘no' is something Rush wears with a badge of honor and credits it with his being able to be an owner-operator for 35 years. "You have to be energetic and enthusiastic," adds Rush. "Nothing is too hard or out of the way." And if saying ‘yes' is going to cost you extra, make them pay extra – up front. The past 40 years have flown by for Rush and it's been a good run. "I can't say I had a difficult time because if it ever seemed like I didn't have enough money to put away, I just worked harder," he says.
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