TanTara Transportation Corp

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 on the right 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.

Dedicated Fleet

When it comes to dedicated fleet service, trust the trucks that treat every load as if it’s one of their own. TanTara Transportation provides reliable dedicated fleet service which allows businesses to focus their efforts on what they do best. Our commitment to providing high-quality fleet service has led us to continually invest in our people, equipment, and customers.

When implementing a dedicated fleet from TanTara your business will be assigned a group of tractors, trailers, drivers, and other resources. TanTara’s resources will carry out all transportation operations that you previously managed on your own, or maybe that your current transportation provider was not meeting expectations on.

Driving is our specialty
Contracting with TanTara Transportation eliminates the stress, hassle, and inefficiencies associated with managing your own fleet or working with a subpar carrier who isn’t holding up to their end of the contract. By outsourcing your fleet management to an experienced transportation company, your business is able to re-allocate time, money, and resources to parts of the operation that can use extra attention. TanTara’s dedicated fleet solutions not only help businesses invest in themselves, but also offer peace of mind knowing their goods and materials are being delivered on time and in good condition.

Outsourcing is investing
Aside from freeing up your assets to be utilized more efficiently, TanTara’s dedicated fleet service allow you to inject saved expenditures back into the business. Once your business starts working with TanTara you’ll no longer need to purchase, maintain, repair, or update a fleet, you won’t dedicate resources to finding and hiring drivers, you can eliminate insurance payments for the fleet, and in some cases you’re able to sell your trucks and trailers.

We’re an extension of YOU
TanTara’s dedicated fleet service only operates the highest-quality specialized equipment available; couple that with a custom branded truck & trailer with your logo on it and every truck on the road will be turning heads.

The safety and durability of our trailers ensure maximum protection for the freight they carry. Also protecting your freight is our skilled drivers. TanTara drivers are the dominant factor in everything we do. We’ve created a stringent process that helps us attract and retain the absolute best drivers and employees. Perhaps most beneficial to your business, our driver retention rate is five times better than the industry average—ensuring that you will have the same drivers moving your business for a long time.

When it comes to choosing a dedicated carrier, there’s the rest & then there’s the best. Hire TanTara for your freight handling needs and you’ll receive the high-quality service you deserve.

What We Do
In 2021, TanTara Transportation Corp. is celebrating our fourth decade as a national transportation provider. We have been a proven and dependable carrier for 40 years. Taking care of people is what we do.

We’re proud to be a fleet trucking Iowa company and know you’ll appreciate our Midwestern hospitality and work ethic.

At TanTara, we know we’re only as good as our word. If we give you our word, we will complete the job. If there is anything we can’t deliver, we‘ll find someone who can. Honesty and integrity is what our company is founded on and those core values have solidified our reputation.

In the rapidly changing shipping industry, TanTara is constantly evolving to meet our customer’s needs. No matter what your request, TanTara will find a solution and provide safe and efficient service.

TanTara is your one-call transportation source. As you prepare to ship your next load on open bed flatbed trucks, dry van, curtain side conestoga trailer, or tank, call TanTara Transportation Corp. and speak with one of our courteous and professional Fleet Managers.

We can easily handle any loads that require special equipment or attention.

Our fleet includes:
48’ Flatbeds (open deck)
48’ Curtain Side Conestoga trailers
Specialized Extendable trailers
Liquid bulk tankers
53’ dry-vans