History


In 1973, Mike Riggan opened a feed and grain business in his hometown of Lone Tree, Iowa. Growing up in a family with 18 children, Mike knew the value of hard work and independence. Before founding Riggan Feed & Grain, Mike served in the U.S. Army and is a proud Vietnam veteran.

When the farm economy went south in the late 1970's, Mike decided to pursue trucking. He and his wife, Diane, moved their family to Muscatine, Iowa. In 1981, Mike purchased his first truck, “Ethel,” and formed M.J. Riggan, Inc. He leased Ethel with R.L. Garrett, Inc., pulling a tank trailer. 

Pictured below is Mike Riggan’s first office in 1989 where he worked out of his home garage.

In 1984, Mike was promoted to general manager at Garrett’s and he continued to lease more trucks with the company. In 1987, Mike changed his company name from M.J. Riggan, Inc. to TanTara Transportation Corp.

The TanTara name is a combination of his two daughters' names, Tanya and Tara.  Mike also has two sons, Jeff and David. Jeff worked for TanTara as a driver and is now the business development and operations manager. David — after serving two tours in Iraq with the United States Marine Corps and fighting the war on terrorism —joined the TanTara Team in 2010 as safety director.

In 1988, Mike left R.L. Garrett to further expand his own company. By 1989, TanTara Transportation had joined forces with Slay Transportation, a tank carrier based out of St. Louis, MO.  Still today, TanTara acts as an agent and terminal for Slay Transportation in Muscatine.

In 1995, TanTara celebrated its continued growth and success with a move to a new 10,000 square foot state-of-the-art maintenance facility and new office building. At the same time, Mike diversified his business by entering the flatbed transportation segment of the trucking industry. View our facilities.

Today, TanTara's fleet is a mix of company owned trucks and owner operators. The company has a dedicated and loyal group of employees who take pride in the company, the equipment, and their relationships with customers. Some of TanTara's employees have been with the company since the beginning. Learn more about the TanTara team.

Despite the continuous regulation changes impacted upon the trucking industry, Mike looks to the future with optimism. He hopes to achieve an even higher level of safety performance and growth, while continuing to provide outstanding service to his customers and a family-friendly atmosphere for his employees.

Thank you for visiting the TanTara Transportation Corp. website. We look forward to working with you in the future.

Learn how to become a part of our team. Call us at 800-650-0292 or fill out an online application.

Time Zones

Pacific Zone

11:09 PM

Mountain Zone

12:09 AM

Central (home)

1:09 AM

Eastern Zone

2:09 AM