As a food truck owner, keeping your trucks well maintained is one of the most important things you can do to create a profitable food truck business.
Depending on where your food truck is located, exposure to extreme heat or cold can take a toll on both the inside and outside of your vehicle. Furthermore, not maintaining your food truck can lead to having to invest significant amounts of capital in repair on issues and problems that are often preventable.
Given that food trucks are no small investment, taking the time to care for your truck properly is a must.
Why Food Truck Maintenance is Important
Here are a few reasons why food truck maintenance should be a priority, as well as a brief checklist to ensure your truck is kept in the best condition possible:
It saves you money in the long run
Taking good care of your food truck may seem like a hassle in the day to day operations of your business, but in the long run, it will almost certainly save you money.
As with most things in life, prevention is often significantly less costly than dealing with an issue when it occurs. While keeping your truck in good shape won’t guarantee problems won’t arise, it will reduce the chances and frequency in which your truck breaks or you need a repair.
Something as simple as checking your tire pressure each day can help prevent a blown tire in the middle of the highway during an extremely busy day.
First impressions matter
How your truck looks to your customers can play a big role in their overall impression of your brand. No one wants to order from a food truck that looks worn down, especially if you are catering a wedding.
Having an employee clean the truck, wipe it down, fix and even paint the outside of the vehicle regularly can do wonders for making sure you give a great first impression.
Consider having your manager go through a brief checklist each day after your food truck closes to ensure you are maintaining a high standard for your food truck.
Keeping your truck maintained builds good business habits
While working to keep your truck in good condition is important and can save you money in the long run, it also ensures that everyone working at your truck is held to a high standard.
Showing your employees that it’s important to care for the truck will help instill a sense of pride for you and your team. You want to demonstrate to your team that this isn’t just a regular job and that you want to deliver the best experience possible.
Building the proper systems in your day to day operations to ensure your truck is well maintained will help develop good business habits that will ultimately help you grow and scale your business more effectively.
Maintenance Checklist for Food Truck Owners
Here’s a quick checklist to help you keep your food truck running in great shape.
- Check your oil and engine regularly
- Check your truck battery
- Have one of your employees check the tire pressure, especially after driving for extended periods
- Ensure you have the tools in your truck in case an emergency occurs
- Get a truck tune-up at least once a year
- Repaint your truck if it begins showing wear and tear
- Have your closing manager go through a brief end of day checklist
- Encourage your employees to speak up or take action if a repair is necessary
With thousands of amazing food trucks listed on Truckster, doing everything you can to deliver an exceptional experience to your customers is a must! Keep your truck in excellent shape, and the customers will see the effort you put into your business.