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Food trailer glossary
The terms you will see on build sheets, labels, permits and titles.
- VIN
- Vehicle Identification Number: the 17-character code that identifies a trailer. It must come from a manufacturer registered with NHTSA. You can decode it on NHTSA's website.
- MCO (Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin)
- The document a new trailer comes with. Your county tax office uses it to title and register the trailer.
- FMVSS label
- The label on the trailer stating it meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards in effect on the date of manufacture. It shows the VIN, GVWR and tire information.
- GVWR
- Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: the most the trailer may weigh fully loaded. Your tow vehicle and hitch must be rated for it.
- GAWR
- Gross Axle Weight Rating: the most each axle may carry.
- NHTSA
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the US agency that registers vehicle manufacturers and assigns their VIN codes.
- DSHS mobile food vendor license
- The Texas statewide license required since July 1, 2026 for food trucks, trailers and pushcarts, issued by the Department of State Health Services in Types I, II and III.
- TCS food
- Time and temperature control for safety food: food that must be kept hot or cold to stay safe, such as meat, dairy and cooked rice.
- Commissary
- A fixed facility where a mobile vendor fills water, empties waste, stores supplies and cleans equipment.
- 3-compartment sink
- A sink with three bowls for washing, rinsing and sanitizing utensils, separate from the hand sink.
- Type I hood
- A kitchen exhaust hood for grease-producing cooking, with grease filters and a fan. Cooking trailers need one.
- UL 300
- The UL fire test standard for fire suppression systems that protect commercial cooking equipment.
- Fire suppression system
- An automatic system that sprays wet chemical agent over cooking equipment when it detects fire. It must be inspected and tagged by a licensed company.
- Class K extinguisher
- A portable extinguisher for cooking oil and grease fires; required in Houston if you fry food.
- NSF / ETL listed
- Marks showing commercial food equipment has been certified to food equipment sanitation or safety standards.
- UL listed
- A mark showing an electrical part has been certified to UL safety standards.
- Shore power inlet
- The weather-rated socket on the outside of the trailer where you plug in a generator or site power, often 50 amp.
- NEMA 14-50
- A common 50 amp, 120/240V plug and inlet type used for trailers and RVs.
- LP-gas
- Liquefied petroleum gas, usually propane, used for griddles, fryers and burners.
- Breakaway system
- A device that applies the trailer's electric brakes automatically if the trailer comes off the hitch.
- 304 / 316 stainless
- Food-grade stainless steel grades. 316 has extra corrosion resistance; 304 is the common food-service grade.
- Build sheet
- Our written specification for your trailer: size, materials and every piece of equipment, approved by you before any payment.