Thor Retires as SVP of Truck Sales for Rush Enterprises



Jim Thor, senior vice president of truck sales for Rush Enterprises, will retire on March 12.

Thor has been a part of the development of Rush Enterprises’ vehicle sales and marketing departments since he joined the company in 2004. Thor’s oversight has included heavy duty, medium duty, light duty and used truck sales, as well as bus sales and the company’s crane, refuse and towing sales divisions. His oversight also has included the company’s marketing and communications functions.

When Thor joined the organization, the company operated heavy duty Peterbilt truck dealerships across the southern United States with a limited number of medium duty franchises operating from those dealerships. Today, Rush Enterprises represents Peterbilt, Navistar, Hino, Isuzu, Ford, IC Bus and Blue Bird.

Under Thor’s leadership, the company’s vehicle sales grew from 9,856 trucks in 2004 to 30,513 trucks and buses in 2020. Additionally, Thor helped create dedicated sales specialists across the U.S., as well as adding a national fleet sales organization to provide expertise and counsel to a range of market niches and customers. He was a proponent of training and development for members of the sales organization, implementing a sales training curriculum with dedicated trainers. He helped establish the company’s expertise in alternate fuel truck sales, expanding that to include assistance with grant and incentive funding. Thor also helped establish the marketing and communications functions within the commercial vehicle dealership organization and continued to provide leadership and resources to support this function under his oversight.

Prior to joining Rush Enterprises, Thor served for 14 years in various executive positions with Peterbilt Motors Company. In 1996, Thor was promoted to director of U.S. regional sales of Peterbilt, prior to which he served as regional sales manager and district sales manager. He began his career in sales with ZF, a technology supplier to the automotive and commercial vehicle industries.

“Jim is a primary reason we now have the strongest truck sales and marketing team in the industry,” W.M. “Rusty” Rush, chairman, CEO and president of Rush Enterprises, said. “With Jim’s leadership, we have significantly grown in all areas of truck sales. Over the course of his career with us, he has cultivated strong relationships with our vehicle OEMs and component suppliers, but, more importantly, has built lasting relationships and friendships with many of our customers. Jim is as knowledgeable about the industry as anyone I know, and I’m grateful for what he has taught our entire sales division through the years. I wish him all the best as he begins this new chapter.”

Jody Pollard was named senior vice president of truck sales and aftermarket sales, reporting to Michael McRoberts, chief operating officer of Rush Enterprises. He served as the company’s senior vice president of operations from 2017 to 2021 and regional general manager of the company’s north Texas and Oklahoma region for six years prior to that. He also has served in a variety of other management roles, including body shop manager, service manager, regional aftermarket sales manager, regional service manager and general manager, supervising more than 19 different Rush Truck Center locations from 1999 to 2017.

“Jody’s diverse and extensive experience within Rush Enterprises puts him in a unique position to take on these new responsibilities and help differentiate us from our competition by selling our entire network and suite of offerings,” Rush said.


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