Is Propane a Safe Fuel for Food Trucks?
Mobile food vendors love the efficiency and convenience of propane gas.
One of the pleasures of living in South Florida is the food truck scene. In the Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach area, you can find unbelievably fresh tacos, off-the-wall loaded hot dogs, Asian fusion, traditional Cuban, and so much other amazing cuisine on the street.
And propane is a popular energy source for food trucks.
Benefits of Using Propane for Food Trucks
Food truck vendors love propane for several crucial reasons:
- Cooking versatility. Food truck artisans can trust it to generate robust, even heat. You can grill, sear or sauté food over an open propane flame. You can use it to boil, bake, steam, fry and keep finished meals warm.
- Eco-friendliness and air quality. Propane serves all these functions while releasing no methane, almost no particulate matter and very little carbon dioxide or other oxide emissions.
- Affordability. Propane is almost entirely domestically produced, so its price tends to be more stable than other fuels.
- Dependability and mobility. Propane goes where you want it to go in a safe 100-pound portable tank. One of these tanks can keep a food truck sizzling for most or all of a shift, and switching out a tank is easy.
Using Propane on a Food Truck
For the most part, food trucks use 100-pound propane tanks, which allow for a good amount of fuel while conserving space. These tanks attach to food trucks in one of two ways:
- If your truck has horizontal tank placement, your propane storage would go under the truck. The tank is contained in a protective compartment to buffer it in the event of a collision. Still, horizontal placement leaves the tank vulnerable to road debris and can be cumbersome if you need to change the tank in the middle of a shift.
- A vertical tank placement setup has tanks installed upright on the back of the truck. They’re normally just above the bumper to keep them more clear of an impact if there’s a traffic accident. This setup creates better access to the tank but leaves it more vulnerable to damage.
Ensuring Propane Safety with a Food Truck
The Department of Transportation requires that portable propane tanks — including those used in food trucks — be inspected and recertified 12 years from the tank’s manufacture date, then every 5 years after that.
We also strongly recommend that you ensure your food truck employees know how to identify the smell of odorized propane, which resembles rotten eggs, spoiled meat or skunk spray. They should also know how to locate the gas lines on your truck and how to contact emergency services if there’s a propane leak.
Southeast Propane supplies propane for food trucks.
At Southeast Propane, we provide premium commercial propane for businesses in South Florida’s Tri-County region. If you need fuel for your food truck, we are ready to help you.
Contact the Southeast Propane team today to start receiving propane for your food truck.
