Name: Tammy Hillenburg
In The Country: Tammy may be the only female milk truck driver in this region. If there is another one, she hasn’t met her. Her father started Hillenburg Trucking more than 30 years ago.
In Town: Tammy owns and manages Tammy’s Hair and Cosmetic Studio in Pleasant Hope, Mo. She has a staff of four and they do nails make-up, facials, tanning, waxing, skin care, pedicures, manicures and of course, hair. The salon is open six days a week, starting at 9 a.m. On the days when she is not hauling milk, Tammy starts around 11 a.m. and finishes up at 9 or 10 p.m. “I’ve got to stay busy. If I took a vacation on the beach somewhere, I’d be stringing beads to make money.”
Family: Two children, Addison and Peyton, plus a brother, an uncle and a cousin who all drive milk trucks.
What would most improve your operation?
At the salon: “I’d like to add walk-in self-tanning booths; where we just spray you. Maybe add another skin care line. But I don’t want to get too big. I like it small like this.”
On the road: Since Tammy said fuel costs eat up about half her paycheck for hauling milk; lower gas prices would improve things a lot.
If you had to quit one of your day jobs, which one?
“I couldn’t. I know which one makes me more money. But I can only take so much of women yapping and carryin’ on and I’ve got to get out of here. A hairdresser is kind of like a psychologist. You hear everything. All their troubles, on and on and on …”
“The other job is harder. Do you want to go out in the ice storm and drive that far, go to farms and get dirty and all that for less money? But I like it. It’s in my blood. Once you do it and you meet those nice farmers – you can’t quit. You look forward to seeing them everyday.”
