We hope these food truck safety tips help you keep your new food truck running safely and smoothly for years to come! Check out our other articles for additional tips, troubleshooting pointers, and maintenance guidelines to make the most of your food truck business experience.
In this article, you’ll find information on the following:
- Generator Operation Safety
- Propane Safety
- Lighting Pilot Lights
- Driving your food truck in winter conditions
Generator Operation Safety
Give the generator proper room to breathe. For the safety of your food truck and staff, we don’t recommend operating your food truck indoors. However, if for whatever reason, you need to operate your food truck in a covered space, make sure to have the proper ventilation for the carbon monoxide to escape from your generator
The generator and its muffler can get very hot during operation and with food truck events lasting for multiple hours, caution is necessary. Be sure to approach your food truck’s generator with caution when touching it after the generator has been running to avoid damage or injury.
Do not store gas for your generator or food truck indoors. Vapor from gasoline is heavier than air and can travel invisibly along the floor. It can be ignited by a pilot light or other source of flame such as an electric spark
Before you begin operating your generator, be sure to read an adhere to your owner’s manual. If you have any questions regarding your specific generator, we recommend consulting your generator’s manufacturer.
Propane Safety
We recommend having a qualified propane service technician regularly perform a leak test on your food truck’s propane systems. If, for any reason, you smell gas, there are a few precautions that you need to take:
- Immediately extinguish all smoking materials and open flames
- Get everyone out of the area if you suspect the gas is leaking
- Turn off the gas supply valve of your propane tank if it is safe to do so
- If you feel that there is a propane leak and you can’t contain it, please step away from the leak and contact your propane supplier. If you cannot reach them, call emergency services in your area.
Lighting Pilot Lights
If you are noticing that a pilot light in your food truck is going out on a consistent basis, there is likely an issue with either your appliance or propane system. Make sure that you get the appliance or propane system inspected by a qualified propane service tech.
If you are a smoker, do not smoke or have any source of ignition before lighting your pilot.
Always turn on your exhaust fan (if your food truck is equipped with one) prior to turning on any LP gas valve.
Do not let any untrained employee light the pilot. Be sure to have an employee who knows what they’re doing or light the pilot yourself to ensure the pilots are lit safely.
Driving your food truck in winter conditions
Food trucks can greatly benefit from swapping in snow tires for winter months. The pattern on snow tires helps protect your mobile kitchen by improving performance and traction on slippery roads, which protects your food truck investment and your food service staff.
Have de-icing product on hand during the winter to prevent your food truck locks from freezing up on you.
As winter approaches, replacing the windshield wipers on your food truck becomes particularly important. As ice buildup accumulates on your windshield, visibility decreases. This adds unnecessary risk to driving in already hazardous conditions.
If you are operating your food truck in a cold climate, be sure to use a windshield wiper fluid that contains some level of antifreeze. And be sure to fill your windshield wiper reservoir with a windshield fluid that contains a concentrate of cleaning fluids, not just water.