Cover Story

John Rusyn - Celadon Trucking Services, Inc.

John Rusyn is a professional, over-the-road driver with 14 years of experience under his belt. John has been running with Indianapolis-based Celadon Trucking Services, Inc. since 1994, and he is proud to call the company home.
     It was two years prior to his start with Celadon that John first got behind the wheel of a big rig. “I had just helped my father move, and things were slow,” he remembers. “I saw a driver recruiting ad on TV, and it looked good to me. Soon after I earned my CDL, I had my first trucking job.”
     John also adds that he was born into a family of busy professional drivers. His father, Larry, ran four million miles during his career, and his brother, also named Larry, has run two million miles to date.
     Even with the training he received in driving school, John remembers his first year out on the road as full of challenges. “Finding customer facilities, making my way through big cities and dealing with ice and snow were all nerve-wracking at first, but I soon gained confidence,” he says.
     Within a couple of years, John was ready for something new. His parents gave him an opportunity to buy one of their properties in California, and he took them up on the offer and moved there. He and his brother then decided to team up at Celadon. The fraternal partnership lasted only two months, but John knew that he’d found the right motor carrier.
     As a veteran driver, John has learned that it takes strong company support to succeed, and he gets it at Celadon. “I’ve worked with Amy, my dispatcher, for eight years,” he says. “We have a great relationship, and I consider her my partner as I go about my job.”
     John is also pleased with the driver package at Celadon, which includes what he believes to be the best vacation package in the industry. The package includes one paid week off for every 30,000 miles of service. This can mean up to five weeks of vacation a year for a hard-working driver. Additional benefits include new equipment every three years, regular home time and checks paid like clockwork.
     Sadly, John has lost his father, mother and brother through the years, and he is grateful to the people at Celadon for being there for him through those difficult family emergencies. “When you’re 2,000 miles away from home, and you’ve lost someone you love, that help means a lot,” he says.
     Regional routes throughout the Western U.S. and Canada provide John with the steady weekly miles he needs to earn a great income. “I’m always able to pay my mortgage,” he says with a hearty laugh. John also runs one day a week locally near his home outside of Laredo, TX.
     When he’s not out on the road with Celadon, John enjoys relaxing at his home. He enjoys riding Harleys, and his other hobbies include golf and collecting guns.
     The staff of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines would like to wish John Rusyn continued success with Celadon Trucking Services. If you would like to learn more about company driver and owner-operator driving opportunities available now at Celadon, give one of their friendly recruiters a call at 800-685-2621, visit their Web site at DriveCeladon.com or see their ad on page 31 of this issue.