After news surfaced Monday that Wayne, Michigan-based Rush Trucking had shuttered operations, a Lavalle Transportation employee confirmed to FreightWaves that the automotive parts hauler had been sold in December to rival carrier Lavalle, headquartered in Potsdam, New York.
The company’s operations in Michigan have been closed, the source said.
Rush Trucking had 354 power units and 374 drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website. The company’s insurance was canceled in mid-January and its operating authority revoked on Jan. 25, according to FMCSA.
Many former Rush drivers hired on with Lavalle, which has 425 power units and 440 drivers, the source told FreightWaves.
Rush was owned by Andra Rush, who founded the company in 1984. She operated one of the largest woman-owned businesses in Michigan and one of the largest Native American-owned enterprises in the U.S. Her company posted more than $102 million in revenue in 2019.
She also owns Dakkota Integrated Systems LLC, a joint venture with Magna International Inc. Dakkota reported revenue of $565 million in 2019 with 1,250 employees, according to Crain’s Detroit Business.
Lavalle Transportation had not returned FreightWaves’ telephone calls about the acquisition as of press time.
A year prior to the sale, Rush stepped down as chief executive officer, hiring Kimberly Rodriguez to take the helm at Rush Trucking in February 2020. Rodriguez left the company in September. Rush also sold her stake in Detroit Manufacturing Systems in 2018. The joint venture with Faurecia Interior Systems Inc. posted more than $1 billion in revenue and had more than 800 employees in 2018, according to Crain’s.
This is a developing story.
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