While every food truck owner may need roadside assistance at one time on another, a little advanced planning can help minimize the aggravation or the downtime.  Below is a checklist of items that you should carry in your glove box or tucked away in your food truck for emergencies.

What To Keep In Your Glove Box And Food Truck

Glove box

What’s that in your food truck’s glove box? A dried up pen? Old parking tickets? A half eaten protein bar? Sorry to break to you, but that’s NOT what your glove box should be used for.

  • Owner’s manual.
  • Insurance card.
  • Vehicle registration.
  • Roadside assistance provider phone number and account number.
  • Road map. The paper map has almost become obsolete in today’s smartphone generation. But you’ll have the last laugh when you’re lost without phone signal and pull out your trusty paper road map.
  • Emergency contacts. Spouse, family members and/or friends.

RELATED: Preparing For An Accident: Food Truck Insurance Checklist

General items for the truck

  • Spare tire. Don’t forget to make sure it is properly inflated the next time you stop for fuel.
  • Tire jack and tire iron.
  • Tire pressure gauge.
  • Battery operated air pump.
  • Flat board. This is for those cases where the truck might get stuck in the mud.
  • Cat litter. This mat seem odd, but cat litter helps with traction in winter conditions.
  • Blankets.
  • Jumper cables.
  • Flashlight and spare batteries. If you’re stranded in the dark, you need to preserve your phone’s battery for emergency calls; so make sure you don’t drain it using the flashlight feature.
  • First aid kit. Ideally a store bought first aid kit with enough in it to cover everything from a graze to something more serious.
  • Fire Extinguisher.
  • Basic Tool Kit.

PLEASE NOTE: This list is just a general list of items in your glove box and food truck that can be expanded or revised if you live in an area with special seasonal conditions.

The Bottom Line

The glove box can be a useful treasure chest in your food truck, holding everything from important papers and receipts to tire gauges and extra fuses. It’s a safe, easy-to-access place for crucial items, and almost every vehicle has one. Even the best of us are sometimes guilty of littering our glove boxes with unnecessary items like CDs or cosmetics. Don’t let yourself go down that path. Rather, be prepared and keep the proper items in your glove box.

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