Keeping a food truck business profitable and popular requires careful balancing of key costs against the prices you charge your customers.
Fuel is a major concern for mobile vendors, especially with the volatility being experienced in this market at the moment.
With that in mind, here are some options for cutting the expense associated with filling up your food truck each week.
Drum out bad driving habits
How you drive has more effect on fuel economy than anything else. So rather than accelerating as hard as possible and braking at the last moment, aim to instead get into the habit of driving efficiently at all times.
When covering long distances, it’s also more economical to turn on cruise control which keeps your truck at a constant speed. If you don’t have this feature onboard, aim to stick at the same steady pace whenever you can, and anticipate the road ahead rather than just reacting to it.
Don’t skimp on maintenance
The LCV market is growing globally, and modern trucks are much more robust and durable than their predecessors.
However, just because manufacturers might cite long service intervals and minimal maintenance requirements, that doesn’t mean you should take them at their word.
It’s better to prevent inefficiencies from creeping in, and breakdowns from occurring, by having a plan for frequent maintenance in place, especially if you do a lot of miles every year.
Use delivery management software to find the shortest and most efficient routes
The latest delivery management software isn’t just for last-mile logistics, but can also work wonders in a food truck context.
Rather than traveling unnecessarily far to reach your intended destination, or having to sit in congestion with your engine idling, a good route planner will save you time and money alike.
Check tire pressure before every journey
Another element that will determine how economically you can drive your food truck is tire pressure. If they aren’t inflated correctly, then they’ll be more of a drag, requiring the engine to work harder to get you up to speed, and using more fuel in the process.
Every truck manufacturer provides info on correct tire pressures, but you’ll also have to remember to take into account the added weight that your vehicle will bear as a result of the equipment and produce you keep onboard to run your business.
Turn off aircon
Unless it’s perilously hot, using the air conditioning system in your truck while you’re driving is the opposite of fuel efficient.
Turning this off will let your vehicle sip fuel rather than gulping it. And since you’ll likely be operating with the side of the truck open to the elements anyway, aircon will be wasted in the long run.
Shop around for inexpensive fuel
Gas prices can vary wildly even within the same area, so comparing costs at different outlets rather than sticking with the same vendor because it’s one you know is a quick and easy way to save money.
There are various apps which allow you to get pricing info in real time, so you don’t have to do the research yourself.
Wrapping up
You have a lot to gain by taking fuel costs into account when using your food truck, especially when you calculate the savings you could make over the course of a year or more.
Passing on these savings to customers, or using them to reinvest in your business to help it grow, is better than sticking with the same old, inefficient routines. Even small changes will have a cumulatively significant impact.
