A plan built for a truck, not a kitchen.

Three things a fixed kitchen is never asked for

A mobile unit is a food establishment that moves, and the Food Code handles that by asking three questions a building never has to answer: where does your water come from, where does your waste go, and who services you.

A generic HACCP template has no idea those exist. They are also the usual reason a permit application stalls — particularly the third, because it needs a signature from somebody who is not you.

• Water supply

  Where potable water comes from, how the tank is filled, and how the hose is kept clean and marked.

• Waste retention

  Where greywater goes, how much you can hold, and where it is legally emptied.

• Commissary servicing

  The fixed facility that supports you, and what it does for you. Needs their signature.

Truck, cart, trailer or stand — same rules

The Food Code puts all of them in one class: mobile food establishments. They share every module and differ only in the word you use for yours, which is why Sage asks which one you have and then stops caring.

What does change the plan is what you cook, whether you make anything ahead, and whether you cater events as well as trade from a pitch.

The part that stops trucks more than any other

Special processes. A truck doing smoked brisket it cures itself, or holding sushi rice at room temperature, or vacuum-sealing for later, is in a different regulatory category — one that needs a process authority to validate the specific process, usually alongside a variance.

That is not a software problem and no plan builder can substitute for it. Sage screens for it early, and if you tick one she stops rather than selling you a plan she cannot finish. Better to find out in three minutes.

Questions people ask first

Does a food truck need a HACCP plan?

Often, but not because federal law says so on its own. Mobile units are asked for one more frequently than fixed restaurants, usually by the health department issuing the permit or by the commissary agreeing to service you. Some jurisdictions require a written plan for any mobile unit; others only for specific processes. Ask the authority issuing your permit — they answer this daily.

What is a commissary and do I need one?

A commissary is a fixed, permitted facility that supports your unit — potable water, waste disposal, food storage, cleaning, sometimes prep. Most jurisdictions require mobile units to operate from one, and require a written agreement with it. Getting that agreement signed is the step to start earliest; it holds up more permits than anything else.

Do I need a separate plan for each truck?

Yes. A plan describes one establishment, and two trucks are two establishments even if the menu is identical — different equipment, different tanks, different service history. The packages are priced by how many active plans they cover.

What about events and festivals?

A temporary event stand is treated as a mobile food establishment too, so it carries the same three documents. If you also cater — taking food somewhere and serving it there — an off-premise transport procedure comes with it, covering how food stays in temperature control on the way.