Water Tender Qs

General Discussion
#1

Hey folks, couple of very general questions related to water tenders. I am intending to move back out west next year to be closer to family and friends. Have a few locations I’m considering but am not sold on anything yet. I am thinking of buying a water tender and have been doing some research on the contract programs for various state agencies.

Is CA the best state to be in? I am mostly considering WA, OR, CA, and MT. Possibly NM. CA would be great as I have family there but the issues with CARB make me nervous. I am hoping to be able to run an older truck, maybe something from around 2000-2010. Are there areas where vendor lists are more or less saturated? CA may have a lot of fires, but I’m not necessarily assuming that means every truck on the Cal Fire supplier list is going to get steady work. I have been trying to contact some of the unit coordinators for info, with no luck yet. If you were starting out running a one man operation where would you want to be located?

Thanks in advance for any and all input!

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#2

First, CARB is the law of the land. There are no loopholes. If you want to get into business in CA you must be willing to follow the laws. Being a legitimate business man is part of what it takes to do the job. Just get a truck that has a unmodified motor newer than 2013 and you are golden. After getting a newer truck, make sure you register with CARB, pay your $31 fee and get two Clean Truck Checks every year so your registration isn’t held by DMV. Each Clean Truck Check is between $100-$200. After 2027 you will need 4 Clean Truck Checks a year. If you want to do it on the “cheap” stay out of CA. There are no guarantees of any work. If you are only going to only work fires, you might go broke. Cal Fire is bringing on it’s 2nd C130 that has been crushing fires keeping the fires small. It also has new night flying Blackhawk helicopters that are sucsseful in keeping the fires small. CA has its challenges for a small contractor. AZ and NM have been ripping the past few years…

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#3

Couldn’t you still run an older truck and get an emergency use exemption? Either way, sounds like a lot of red tape that I could probably avoid in another state. 2nd C130 and sounds like there are 5 more on the way…

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#4

Yes you can still run an old truck, pending CARB acceptance and enrollment. They added verbage a few years ago that includes the word “Discretion”. That word has effected owners that didn’t get there trucks registered with CARB by deadlines, SE plates being the latest “victim”. But, you still can register an old truck. Just make sure you call CARB truck stop phone number and give them the vin of vehicle. See if it has violations on record.
I’ve seen quite a few trucks with SE plates that expire out this year that didn’t register with CARB over the last few years. A few started the process that I know of and are currently in very long wait portals. Another was denied for a reason I’m not sure if.
So my advise for old truck prospective buyers is too simply , get vin, call carb, and get a status of vehicle. It’s not hard and it’ll save a lot of headache.

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#5

If you’re preparing to be a water tender driver in California, my best advice is to start practicing early—get to know your rig inside and out, and build up that seat time on California Roads. Drive different types of roads and terrain. Practice night driving in the Six Rivers and wet, thunderstorm conditions in the Tahoe.

I don’t know your experience level—and I don’t say that as a criticism—but California’s driving conditions can be incredibly diverse and demanding. Long shifts, fatigue, and unpredictable road conditions can sneak up on even seasoned drivers.

It helps to take a defensive driving class, if you haven’t already. Even better, ride with someone experienced for a few weeks. Practice long backups on narrow service roads, tight turnarounds, and handling steep grades with a full load.

The more reps you get now, the more confident and capable you’ll be when you’re called up—especially in the tricky terrain of California’s coastal and eastern mountain ranges.

Predictable Is Preventable----Gordon J. Graham

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#6

Thanks, that’s solid advice I think. I had read in more than a couple of places about the hazards of driving water tenders on forest roads. I have a few years experience in trucking but this was years ago and when you add the aspect of multiple tons of moving liquid that certainly adds a challenge. Are there defensive driving classes geared toward this kind of driving specifically? Or just more general CDL driving?

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