About Us

Billy Martin, president of Dolphin Tanker Systems, started in the construction industry in 1978 as a heavy construction equipment sales representative. He worked as a sales representative for both new and used equipment dealers for 16 years and saw a need for quality water tanks.

Dolphin Tanker started out manufacturing water tank bodies in 1994 for on and off road trucks, and over the years tanks were built and delivered both domestically and overseas. The tanks were continually improved and modified over the years and the line expanded. In 2009 Dolphin’s main focus became water tanks for off road articulated and rigid frame trucks. In 2010, the tanks were redesigned starting with the “LOW PRO” water tank which provides a safer and easier to operate water truck by lowering the center of gravity and using a better baffling system, called Staggered Surge Suppression Baffling. “We believe in putting out the best quality tank on the market,” stated Martin. “That’s why we came up with the ‘LOW PRO’ design.

 Dolphin Tanker Systems currently manufacturers tanks from 5,000 to 20,000 gallon for articulated and rigid frame trucks off road trucks. We have a common design for the tank but each one is custom manufactured to specifically fit the truck it is going to be mounted on. This allows us to lower the tank and therefore to provide more stability. We also use the best components on the market and we even epoxy coat the entire inside of the tank for longer life.” “Whether you are doing dust control on a construction site or fighting grassland fires, we can design and install a pump and spray setup that is sure to meet your needs.” 

Dolphin Tanker, located in Plant City, FL, is also a parts dealer for Berkeley Water Pumps, FirePro Water Cannons, Muncie Motors, and Cox Hose Reels.

We are  providers of water pumps, spray heads, hose reels, water cannons, and anything else your tank desires. We carry our own line of pumps, spray heads, and other parts. We are also a recognized parts distributor for Berkeley Pumps, Cox Reels, Muncie Motors, and FirePro Cannons. If we don’t already have it, we’ll find it and get it to you fast. 

Whether you are doing construction site dust control or fighting grassland fires, we can get you a pump and spray setup that is sure to meet your needs. At Dolphin Tanker, we know how important it is for you to have a dependable and service free product and we’ll use our expertise to help you with all of your water truck part needs. Your satisfaction is guaranteed!

 

 

 A wide ranging interview on the state of the tanker business with Billy Martin, president of Dolphin Tanker Systems.

Martin started building water tanks in 1994 following a successful career as a heavy equipment salesman for a major dealership in Florida.

His company currently builds both on and off road tanks including their own “Low Pro” design.  The “Low Pro” tank is for off road trucks and provides the lowest center of gravity of any tank on the market.  

A recent change in the business is that they are now getting heavily in to the parts business.  “We stock over 600 parts for water tankers on our shelf,” stated Martin.  We are a Berkeley pump dealer and carry 12 different spray heads. “The tank business has changed so much in the last few years.  There are more and more tanks out there but contractors aren’t replacing them, they are fixing them, so we wanted to get into the parts as well as the building side in an effort to assist our customers. We stock 99% of the parts we sell.”

Dolphin Tanker Systems has also gotten in to the parts manufacturing business.  “We designed and have built four models of pumps.  We are building them offshore. They are all 4x3 with different configurations.  We have both hydraulic and power takeoff systems available.

“The reason we went to building pumps outside of the U.S. is that we are able to get into a less expensive price point market.  Pumps are generally expensive and there are a lot of people who manufacture them.  So we manufacture them and sell them under the Dolphin Tanker Systems brand. 

“A lot of parts in the industry are now coming from outside the U.S.  We are letting people choose if they want to invest in an American made product or an offshore made product.  There is quite a substantial price difference.  However, all of the tanks we build use only American made parts.  It is hard to determine where parts come from now because some American manufacturers are now having parts built outside of the United States.  Because of the internet our parts are sold nationally but most of our tanks stay east of the Mississippi with a few going in to Texas or a couple of other western states.”

Water spray heads, hydraulic motors, control parts, on/off switches, water cannons, and joy sticks are the most common parts to replace outside of the pumps.   “A lot of companies are unsure of the economy and don’t want to be caught with a lot of new equipment like they were in 2008 and 2009 and no work,” claimed Martin.  “It comes down to the cost of buying versus fixing.”  

 “We build tanks from 2,000 to 20,000 gallons,” stated Martin.  “The most common sizes are 2,000 gallons for on-road trucks and 5,000 gallons for off-road trucks, just because that is the cheapest way to go in each class.”  All of our tanks are built in central Florida. 

“We build tanks to order and also stock tanks in inventory,” claimed Martin.  “Every tank we build is the same design, the only thing different is the structure under the tank.  It is built to fit the truck it is being mounted on.   All of the trucks are different so they take a different structure but our basic design will fit any truck.  We also install the tanks on the trucks when the customer wants us to.   We can mount the tank on the truck in our shop or in the field.  It is additional expense to mount in the field so many trucks are sent to our shop for mounting.” 

When asked about changes coming in the industry Martin mentioned, “Articulated trucks are the biggest change in the industry.  It used to be that a 25-40-ton truck was the standard.  Now manufacturers are going to 45, 46, or 50 ton trucks. A 60-ton articulated truck is in development and will appear on the market sometime next year. Upsizing tanks is a definite must. We have already designed and blue printed a 10,000-gallon tank for the larger trucks that are on the market now.

“Innovations are coming, whether the customer is ready for them is another matter.  I talked to a guy who is working on a unit to provide constant spray no matter how fast the truck is going.  The current cost differential on the smart truck is approximately a 35% upcharge.  They are going to have to find a way to do it better and less expensive.”

Dolphin Tanker System can be reached at (813) 704–4849 or through email at kim@dolphintanker.com