Why Food Truck Management Should Give Importance to Business Requirement Updates

Many in the food truck business experienced considerable success during the pandemic, only to find out later that they’ve been violating some local ordinances. Many took advantage of the mobility aspect of their business by transferring to another location or invested on another food truck outside of their home base.

 

owever, some forgot to check out the latest mobile vending laws, while some others were not fully aware that different cities and counties have different policies, not only for mobile vending but also for public parking. Apparently, this particular aspect must also be given particular attention by food truck management software.

The Importance of Staying Up to Date with Business Regulations in All Government Levels

In any business, it’s always important to stay up to date with the latest federal, state and local regulations, because every jurisdiction has the right to impose rules and policies that can best serve their communities. Aside from business registrations and licenses, state and local health department require different credentials and permits.

In light of the still ongoing health crisis wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, some states have beefed up regulations on food services particularly in terms of health, sanitation and environmental considerations.

Mobile food vendors are finding out that there is no easy approach to obtaining permits for relocating in another area. Apparently, this is one aspect that developers of food truck management software must take into account. Most food truck management software are designed specifically for automation of sales processing, financial reporting, menu planning, cost accounting and inventory monitoring.

Yet if one is to ask mobile food vendors for one specific business aspect they find hard to navigate, the most common answer is the difficulty of acquiring licenses, permits and certifications. In New York City for one, a mobile food vendor also has to obtain clearance from the Housing & Community Development (HCD Department).

Simply stated, mobile food vendors looking to expand by operating in multiple cities and counties, will neet to apply and secure approval for an entirely new set of requirements from every location in which they intend to set up a food truck unit.

Trucking Management Software vs. Food Truck Management Software

Even trucking operators encounter the same difficulty as there are cities that impose restrictions for cargo vehicle entry. Restrictions also vary per jurisdiction, where some mandate outright restrictions on delivery trucks and freight carriers, some others qualify restrictions base on vehicle size, weight of load or levels of emissions.

As solutions, trucking management software focus on data accessibility, especially real time information, that is of great importance for route planning. As opposed to food truck software that provides automation in collecting, summarizing, reporting and analyzing financial data, a trucking accounting software is usually not part of a basic trucking management software. Still, the latter may include a feature that allows exporting of financial data to a trucking company’s existing accounting software like Quickbooks, Q7 or Axon.

Some high-end trucking management programs offer more back-office solutions, through a feature that automates direct posting of all financial operations data to the trucking accounting software used by the company.

The bottom line is that food truck businesses is not as simple as many seem to think. While the use of a food truck management software is recommended, they should also consider application or modules that will enable them to navigate and manage requirements for business permits, licensing and credentials in different jurisdictions.