If your a food truck owner you probably don't have much spare time. It's difficult to squeeze in everything you have to do during the course of any given day. However, food truck maintenance is not something that you should neglect. It will end up costing you much more in damages and time lost by not regularly performing maintenance of your truck.
Here are 5 ways you can maintain your food truck and stay on the road and in business:
Change the oil. Depending on the year of your engine you may need to change the engine oil every 3-5 months. Possibly more if you are putting high miles on the truck. This is one of those easy items to neglect, but can put you out of business if overlooked.
Rotate the tires. Your front wheels will wear three times faster that the rear times due to turns. Be sure to rotate your tires every six months to prevent blowouts, maximize your gas mileage and get the most value out of your tires. It's a quick and cheap way to be safe.
Change the spark plugs. You should look to replace your spark plugs every 30,000 miles. Oil buildup on your plugs and can effect your engine efficiency and cause damage. This can be an easy job and one that you can likely do yourself, but it can also easily be forgotten.
Change the brake pads. Food trucks are heavy! Average weights with equipment and fully stocked is 13,000 pounds. That's a lot to come to a stop and brake pads wear our faster because of it. Look to check and possibly replace your brake pads every 25,000 miles.
Check the lights. This should be a daily habit. If your blinkers or headlights are out other drivers may not see you and you may not see them. Older trucks use incandescent bulbs which can go out regularly. Be safe and check your lights and blinkers as a part of your regular daily routine.
You will lose business every day that your truck is in the shop, so be sure it's a quick visit for maintenance rather than a month long engine rebuild... You can also lose repeat business of credibility if your truck is off the streets too long.
Don't forget that your food truck is a vehicle, not just a kitchen. Figure out the maintence schedule for your truck needs and mark your calendar well in advance so you never miss a check point. Maintaining your truck will keep you in business, keep you safe and help keep up the value of your investment!