It's curious that even when length is a concern they still went with bonneted trucks instead of the cab-over-engine design that dominates Europe because of length and maneuverability considerations.

Compare for example these French forest fire trucks: http://www.sides.fr/en/french-standardised-vehicles/

Or this range of vehicles from a Spanish manufacturer: https://www.iturri.com/en/vehicles/emergencies-and-fire-figh...

Probably another example of path dependence?