STRONGER TOGETHER - Mike Rust
STRONGER TOGETHER
Legend Nominee: Mike Rust
This Legend article features a third-generation truck driver, with 45 years of experience driving big rigs professionally. Mike Rust, of Exeter, New Hampshire grew up in the transportation business riding alongside his father at the young age of 5, delivering bags of cement throughout their home state of Pennsylvania. A lifetime of knowledge passed down from his predecessors – the rest self-taught along the way – coupled with his wife, Marynan’s background as a dispatcher on the opposing spectrum of the business, together they are recognized as a highly accomplished and influential couple within the transportation industry.
Both individuals are seasoned drivers, equally matched behind the wheel, complementing their partnership as business owners of M&M Trucking, LTD, established in 1985; proving that couples can pack a double punch in a profession known for its challenging lifestyle. The power pair also launched Rust Auto Shippers in 1989; an auto transportation company hauling vehicles nationwide.
Until Mike’s adventures running over-the-road came to an abrupt halt in February 2018, Marynan divided her time running team with Mike, driving part-time while also managing both businesses. The shared dedication to running a successful business together as husband and wife can present its share of challenges. Their level of commitment to providing excellent customer service, accompanied with Mike’s perseverance and Marynan’s diligence, speaks to the quality of their relationship.
Mike grew up in a rural area known as, Fredonia, back when having a full-time mother at home was common and considered a blessing. Though news seems to travel fast in a close-knit community, anyone with a similar upbringing can relate to the small-town-life. The men in his family drove trucks for a living, starting with his grandfather during the 1940’s, hauling coal. Mike’s father followed suite, delivering concrete for a local manufacturing plant. Curious and intrigued, Mike took to the enormous vehicles as a natural early on, joining his father in the trucks whenever possible. A senior in high school, Mike skipped class to accompany his father on a couple of deliveries – the distant memories forever engrained so vividly.
His father’s driving career transitioned to an office position in the dispatch department. The following years he wore a number of hats, later establishing a role in management. At the age of 14, Mike started washing trucks at the same concrete factory earning up to $25 a week (which was easily considered big-money for his age at that time). By 15, his father began teaching him how to operate trucks, driving around the plant yard on the weekends. Mike worked his way up to maneuvering a tractor trailer in reverse better than most licensed truck drivers.
Officially entering the workforce at age 17 as a yard man, Mike’s position included loading and unloading trucks, and operating heavy equipment. The next year, his father was transferred to the New Jersey location. Mike also relocated with the company, remaining full-time until he earned his CDL in 1974. For six years, Mike ran regional work throughout New Jersey, New York, and back into Pennsylvania gaining experience pulling flatbed.
In 1985, Mike and Marynan crossed paths – enter, our Mainer; through and through. Mike says, “My wife is 71 years old, 5’4 and 120 pounds, and can still get up and drive a truck with the best of them. She’s tough! She is from Maine, for sure.” The couple purchased a brand new 1985 Western Star with a 60-inch standup sleeper and went into hauling produce over-the-road. It was the beginning to their first family-owned business, as well as, Marynan’s driving career.
Mike tapped into his own experience, in addition to his earlier years growing up in the trucking industry and used those tools to help teach Marynan how to drive a semi-truck properly. It was in 1989 when the couple switched to car hauling.
“The key to the car hauling niche was establishing good relationships with brokers. We have had our auto transport office for 30 years now, but we opted out of running the cars themselves in 2012. After that, we signed on with another company transporting jet engines. In the middle of 2012 we were given a phone number for a company who wanted a small trucking company to come in and haul their product from their warehouse to their installers mini storage places, and be dedicated to only them. We met with them and put our first truck on with them towards the end of 2012. This contract was for an independent manufacturer and supplier of stairlifts. At the beginning of 2013 we took our personal truck off of the jet engine lease and put it to work for the stairlift company also.
In the beginning, we had one truck with them. Together we helped build a dependable delivery system and eventually expanding this fleet to six trucks over the course of five years. At the beginning of 2019 we sold our 4 trucks to the to the stairlift company we were contracted to.
We also have our other trucking company with two trucks. I was out on the road most of the time until we discovered the brain tumor in February of 2018.”
-Mike Rust
Glioblastoma is an aggressive type of cancer that begins within the brain and can occur at any age. Mike’s symptoms initiated with fatigue, along with other mild signs associated with his right foot. Following a doctor’s visit, a walnut size tumor was located between two lobes on the upper left area of his brain. The unexpected news was met with extraordinary detail – due to the position of the tumor being situated in the seam of the lobes prevented the abnormal growth from imbedding into the brain.
Mike returned to work as soon as possible. After all, as business owners there is no rest for the weary. February was his one-year post-surgical anniversary. Some days offer more energy than others, though Mike explains his down-time is getting less and less. After 44 years of driving a truck, the leisure of jumping in one, firing it up, and taking off is currently on hold, hinging upon a full recovery. I can imagine having your talent stripped away unwillingly without forewarning can leave the most devastating aftermath.
Understanding the miracle of his circumstances doesn’t change his journey as a professional driver today. Pulled away from the big-rigs (temporarily, we hope!), Mike has readjusted as the unwavering, strong-willed individual that forged his way into the world of trucks as a child, to now focusing on what the near future holds for him and Marynan. He says, “It’s time we take some trips and tour places that we both want to visit unrelated to work… enjoy the road and view the country as we should - maybe travel to Israel and Ireland. When we have free time, we go fishing together and stuff like that… we have some concerts lined up in Spring. We enjoy each other’s company, which I’m sure has impacted the business side. Our success is the result of teamwork and our strong relationship too.”
Mike credits Marynan’s knowledge of the industry and her compassion that has deemed her a valuable asset as a team driver. Running team on and off for 33 years, Marynan brought to the table her experience as a dispatcher, an understanding for the lifestyle, and well-over a million miles of her own. Mike has an additional 3-million lifetime miles with experience pulling oversize loads and tankers. He adds, much of their time running long-haul was in the earlier days when “we weren’t rushed” allowing them the opportunity to appreciate and develop their trade. Also, whether the team is a couple, father and son duo, or friends, the three fundamentals that must be present for any two drivers to co-exist in harmony is: communication, trust, and respect.
Speaking from experience of an owner operator, Mike earned several safe driving awards during his 11 years as a company driver. He offers advice for truck drivers itching to crossover into the lane of business owners.
“I would suggest running as a company driver for 3 to 5 years and learn the ropes first. Get a full understanding about the business and what it’s really about. Then make your assessments as to what all you would be able to manage. It’s a different ballpark taking complete ownership of everything, that’s when pure determination kicks in. Having my wife’s support since day one has to be one of the advantages that I had, plus having the extended knowledge early on from my family gave us that extra balance. Knowledge is power, the rest is just putting in the time and hard work to see it through.”
He states that another potential avenue would be to research owner operators that are established with an available truck. “Then you can really open your eyes and ears and actually learn hands-on from within. People tend to pick things up quicker that way,” Mike explained. Go where you can get that type of opportunity to learn and grow before diving in, enabling the process to unfold the correct way.
For Mike, his blueprint of the business lay in the conversations with drivers before him: the experts of the roads, the older generations. One conversation with his uncle he says played a vital role when he made the leap to owner operator. Stating, he was told that if he couldn’t make his truck payment every month, he wasn’t ready – simple as that. Mike reflected on those words with pride, igniting his mission to prove to himself that his goal was attainable. Start a trucking business, implement a financial plan, and then invest in it. Adding, “It can get stressful owning your own trucking business, but you learn to deal. The best satisfaction for me has been paying our trucks off over the years. The challenge was finding the best revenue, you have to be obstinate. Don’t settle for working cheap just because it’s easier.”
His father has since retired from the concrete company, and joined him in the truck for many years during the Summer months. Their journey together as truckers has come full circle as fate intervened, providing a window for the two men to take some time away from the road and relax for a bit. I asked Mike what he would say is one thing he learned about himself looking back at the young, eager 21-year-old-Mike-Rust, ready to drive a truck and blaze his own trail. In hindsight, Mike says he always knew that he could make it. There were never any hesitations about venturing out on his own.
“Even at that age, I knew. I think I’ve learned the impact other people can have on a person’s ambitions. And for me, I grew up in a positive atmosphere. People didn’t tell you that you couldn’t do this or that. Encouragement goes a long way.”
With that support, he entered the trucking realm in the 80’s surrounded by old school truckers. He describes truck stops hosting tables of 6 or 7 guys sitting together, all strangers, swapping stories and exchanging helpful tips. The comraderie among the trucking community is a kinship unlike any other. The age difference was irrelevant then, he was welcomed into his second family. The trucking industry has greatly evolved since Mike first started driving, yet he has always kept his footing. Marynan and Mike continue to run their businesses, plan new projects, and prepare for their next chapter.