Rush Enterprises, Inc. Announces Management Changes; Changes Will Allow Enhanced Focus on Key Areas

SAN ANTONIO--May 2, 20041, 2004--Rush Enterprises, Inc. today announced the appointment of James Thor as Senior Vice President of Retail Sales. The Company has also announced that David Orf, who is currently Rush's Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing, will be Senior Vice President Marketing, Fleets and Specialized Equipment.

Rush Enterprises' continuing operations includes the largest network of Peterbilt heavy-duty truck dealerships in North America and a John Deere construction equipment dealership in Texas. The Company recently announced very strong results for its first quarter of 2004, which, coupled with a very positive outlook for the years ahead has driven management's desire to ensure that the Company's management team is structured to most effectively capitalize on the anticipated surge in demand.

David C. Orf has served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing of the Company since 1993 and, in October 1996, was promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Orf was the general manager of the Company's Houston, Texas facilities until January 1996. Prior to joining the Company, he served as the Southeast region manager of Peterbilt Motors Company, a division of PACCAR, Inc. His new position as SVP Marketing, Fleets and Specialized Equipment will allow Rush to maintain a greater focus on fleet customers and truck sales for very specific applications.

James Thor's most recent position was as Director of United States Regional Sales with the Peterbilt Division of PACCAR, Inc. Prior to this role, Mr. Thor has held the positions of Regional Sales Manager and District Sales Manager. Mr. Thor has been part of the PACCAR team for over fourteen years.

W. Marvin Rush, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rush Enterprises, said, "I couldn't be more pleased with the changes we are announcing today. We intend to continue adapting our Company and team in order to achieve our performance objectives and position Rush to ensure that the Company can best benefit from the robust economy and increased demand that we are seeing today. Today's announcement further demonstrates Rush's commitment to delivering superior performance and service to our customers."

About Rush Enterprises

Rush Enterprises operates the largest network of Peterbilt heavy-duty truck dealerships in North America and a John Deere construction equipment dealership in Houston, Texas. Its current operations include a network of dealerships located in Texas, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Alabama and Florida. These dealerships provide an integrated, one-stop source for the retail sale of new and used heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks and construction equipment; aftermarket parts, service and body shop facilities; and a wide array of financial services, including the financing of truck and equipment sales, insurance products and leasing and rentals.

Certain statements contained herein, including those concerning industry conditions, are "forward-looking" statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, competitive factors, general economic conditions, cyclicality, economic conditions in the new and used truck and construction equipment markets, customer relations, relationships with vendors, the interest rate environment, governmental regulation and supervision, seasonality, distribution networks, product introductions and acceptance, technological change, changes in industry practices, onetime events and other factors described herein and in filings made by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.