Food Trailer FAQs – Trailer Manufacturer Questions

If you’re looking to buy a food trailer and enter the mobile food business, it’s crucial to ask the right questions when selecting a trailer manufacturer. Choosing a reputable and trusted builder ensures your investment is safe, durable, and compliant with regulations.

Key Questions to Ask Before Selecting a Food Trailer Builder

1. Does the trailer builder own the trailer manufacturing facility?

   • Concession Nation’s owners also own Edge Trailer Manufacturer, located just 15 minutes away. This gives us full control over quality and production schedules, ensuring every trailer meets our high standards.

2. Do they build new, custom food trailers?

   • Always confirm that the trailers are custom-built, not repurposed cargo or landscape trailers. These are not designed to support heavy kitchen equipment and can fail on the road.

3. Who is the trailer manufacturer?

   • Knowing the manufacturer ensures accountability, consistent quality, and compliance with industry standards.

Certification and Legal Compliance

A reputable trailer manufacturer must provide:

• Certificate of Origin

• VIN label

• Manufacturer label

• Tire & Loading label

Without these, you cannot register your trailer, which prevents you from legally owning or selling it in the future. Concession Nation relies on Edge Trailer Manufacturer to issue all required documentation.

Trailer Construction and Materials

• Trailer Shell: Built with high-quality steel for durability.

• Exterior Panels: Seamless ACM sheets installed without rivets for a polished, long-lasting finish.

• Axle Placement and Tires: Expertly calculated to safely handle trailer weight.

Important: Cargo or landscape trailers are not suitable for food trailers. Using an improper trailer can lead to structural failure, legal issues, and wasted investment.

Food Trailer Weight and Compliance

• Every trailer is weighed after construction to ensure accurate tire & loading labels.

• Compliance with NHTSA & DOT regulations is essential for safety and legality.

• Concession Nation’s quality control guarantees every trailer is labeled correctly before leaving the facility.

Health Department Codes and Regulations

A professional food trailer builder must:

• Build trailers according to local health department codes

• Ensure proper plumbing, electrical, and propane installations

• Verify fire suppression systems (FSS) are certified and ready to operate

This guarantees your trailer passes health inspections and can operate legally.

Cooking and Cooling Equipment

• All equipment installed must be commercial-grade and NSF-approved.

• Reputable builders disclose all brands and models in proposals to give buyers confidence.

• Concession Nation includes every brand and model in the proposal for full transparency.

Generators and Battery-Powered Options

• Generators are listed by make and model in the proposal if requested.

• Concession Nation also offers battery-powered food trailers, an industry-leading solution with significant benefits.

Why Choose Concession Nation for Your Food Trailer?

• #1 U.S. trailer builder with over 17 years of experience (since 2006)

• Uses its own trailer manufacturing facility for full quality control

• Provides custom, compliant, and fully equipped food trailers

• Transparent pricing with no hidden generator or equipment fees

⚠️ Tip: When comparing competitors, ensure your quote includes trailer shell manufacturing, generator, and full equipment disclosure. Many builders omit these items to make quotes appear lower, only to surprise you later.

Food Trailer Build

Trailer Weight

• A trustworthy trailer builder will always weigh the trailer after it has been built to modify the tire and loading label on the trailer. This is a must to comply with NHTSA & DOT regulations.
• Concession Nation’s quality control weights every trailer and produces an updated tire & loading label that is affixed to the trailer’s tongue. So, you can rest assured, that your food trailer will leave our premises “by the book.”

Health Department Codes & Regulations

• A reputable food trailer builder must build your concession trailer according to the local health department codes and regulations. This will ensure you pass your health department inspection. This is crucial to be able to operate your business legally.

Plumbing, Electrical, Propane, FSS

• An outstanding trailer builder must know how to properly install plumbing, electrical and propane systems. Furthermore, it must use a third-party certified LP company to verify propane work, check there are no leaks and issue certification. If using a fire suppression system, it must also use a certified company to issue a report stating the system is ready to arm and properly installed.

What cooling & cooking equipment will be installed?

• A reputable trailer builder will ensure that all equipment is commercial, and NSF approved. Also, a respected trailer builder will list equipment brands and models on their proposal. Buyers be aware of companies that withhold this information. You will be unpleasantly surprised later.
• Concession Nation’s proposals include every brand and model for full disclosure and customer’s confidence in knowing exactly what they are purchasing.

Does it include a generator, or will it be battery powered?

• Concession Nation will list the generator’s make and model on your proposal if you have requested one.
• Also, Concession Nation is the industry leader in providing battery powered food trucks and food trailers. If you are interested, make sure to ask us more about it. The benefits are significant!
• Concession Nation, Inc. is the #1 U.S. trailer builder, & industry leader. We have been in business since 2006. We use our own trailer manufacturer to build the trailer shells.

Note: Please make sure you look for this line item in other competitor’s quotes, as too many times, it is omitted to make the estimate total seem lower. Then, once you are getting the food trailer built, they surprise you with the no generator news.