UFTA

For founders

From idea to opening day.

Most people who want to start a food truck get stuck in the same five places. Here's the whole path in order, with what we've learned from the operators already doing it — and the numbers to check before you spend a dollar.

  1. Step 1

    Pick a lane the street isn't already full of

    A good concept is one you can cook well, fast, out of a window — and one your city isn't already saturated with. In Las Vegas, about a third of the food-truck permits whose name says what they sell are ice-cream trucks. That's not a reason to avoid ice cream; it's a reason to know who you're parking next to.

    • Keep the menu short. Five to eight items you can hand out in under three minutes beats twenty you can't.
    • Check what's already permitted near you — each city guide shows the mix.
    • Decide early whether you're chasing lunch crowds, events and catering, or late nights. It changes the truck, the hours, and the math.

  2. Step 2

    Run the numbers before you buy anything

    The truck is the obvious cost. Food cost, venue fees, and the slow weeks are the ones that close businesses. Work out how many orders a service you need to break even, then ask whether the spots you're planning to work can actually deliver that.

    Open Truck Math →

  3. Step 3

    Find the truck — and the commissary — together

    In Las Vegas and Salt Lake, the health department won't permit your truck without an agreement with a commissary — the base where you prep, store, fill water and dump grease. (Utah exempts only the simplest trucks: no temperature-controlled food and nothing kept overnight.) Finding a commissary with space can take longer than finding the truck. Line them up at the same time.

    • Used trucks are cheaper and come with someone else's wiring and plumbing. Have the build reviewed against your health department's plan-review rules before you pay.
    • Ask the commissary what they charge, what's included (cold storage, dry storage, parking, water, grease), and whether they'll sign the paperwork your permit application needs.
    • Trailers and step vans are permitted differently in some places. Ask before you choose.

  4. Step 4

    Get permitted, in the right order

    Health plan review and permit, business license, sales-tax registration, fire inspection, food-handler cards — the list is long, the order matters, and it's different in every city. The city guides lay it out step by step with links to the agencies that actually issue each one.

  5. Step 5

    Open — and get found

    Opening day is the start of the hard part: finding spots that work, building regulars, and getting booked for events. Line up your first locations before launch, post your schedule in one place every week, and say yes to a few events early so organizers learn your name.

    • Go from Founder to U0. Until you open you're a Founder, with nothing listed publicly. Opening day is when you claim your pin and start at U0.
    • Claim your pin. Your listing on UFTA is free. Once it's claimed, you control it, and the trust record you build travels with you to every app that uses UFTA's data. Claim your pin →
    • Find a host. Location Hosts steward markets, lots and recurring events, and know which trucks do well there. How hosting works →
    • Know your protections. If you're stiffed by an event or treated unfairly at a location, there's a documented way to report it. Protection →

Truck Math

What it costs to open, and what it takes to break even

Every number below is an example to replace with your own quotes. Nothing you type leaves this page — there's no login and nothing is saved or sent.

1 · Getting open (one-time)
2 · Every month, whether you sell or not
3 · Every service you work

Cash to open

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Monthly sales at this pace

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Monthly profit (before tax)

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Break-even

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How it works: each order keeps what's left after food, packaging, card and venue fees. Each service also has to cover its own staff and fuel. Whatever remains goes toward your fixed monthly costs; break-even is the number of orders where that reaches zero. Taxes, loan principal and seasonality aren't modelled — talk to an accountant who knows mobile food before you sign anything.