Food Truck Dimensions

Food truck dimensions start with the box length: most trucks are step vans with a 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 or 24 ft box, and that number is the kitchen, not the whole vehicle. A 16 ft step van has about 191 inches of floor behind the driver, roughly 86 or 93 inches of width inside and 81 or 85 inches of headroom. The truck itself runs close to 26 feet bumper to bumper.

Builders name trucks by box length. Concession Nation lists 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 ft as the typical sizes and notes that the number refers to the box of the step van. Everything below comes from manufacturer and builder spec sheets, so treat it as a starting point and measure the actual vehicle before you draw anything.

What are standard food truck dimensions?

The table uses the Morgan Olson Route Star spec sheet, a common walk-in step van body on the Freightliner MT45 and MT55 chassis. Cargo length is the floor behind the cab bulkhead.

Box size	Cargo length behind bulkhead	Overall length
14 ft	167 in (13 ft 11 in)	23 ft 9 in
16 ft	191 in (15 ft 11 in)	25 ft 9 in
18 ft	215 in (17 ft 11 in)	27 ft 9 in
20 ft	239 in (19 ft 11 in)	29 ft 9 in
22 ft	263 in (21 ft 11 in)	30 ft 9 in
24 ft	287 in (23 ft 11 in)	32 ft 9 in

The same body comes 86 or 93 inches wide inside (89 or 95 inches outside) and 81 or 85 inches tall inside. Morgan Olson notes that sizes shift with chassis options and model year, so ask the dealer for the exact body data on the van you are buying.

How big is the inside of a food truck?

Bare-shell numbers are not the same as usable floor. Three things eat into it.

The rear wheel boxes are the first. On the Morgan Olson body each wheel box is 44 inches long, and the clear aisle between them is 41 inches. Anything that sits over a wheel box needs a shorter cabinet or a raised platform.

The cab door pockets come next. The sliding cab doors tuck into the first 32 inches of each side wall behind the bulkhead, so that strip can’t take deep equipment.

Then there are the walls. Insulation, wall panels and a floor covering all take inches from the bare shell. Builders finish trucks differently, so measure after the walls go in or ask your builder for finished dimensions.

A food truck layout maker helps here because you can type the real interior length and width, block out the wheel wells, and see what’s left.

How tall is a food truck?

Morgan Olson lists overall heights of 116 to 120 inches for the 81-inch interior and 120 to 124 inches for the 85-inch interior, before anything goes on the roof. A roof-mounted exhaust fan, air conditioner or generator box adds to that, so measure the finished truck before you pull into a drive-through, parking garage or low bridge.

There’s no federal height limit for commercial vehicles. The Federal Highway Administration says state standards run from 13.6 to 14.6 feet.

Interior height matters for the crew too. California requires occupied mobile food facilities to have at least 74 inches of clear height over the aisle, according to the Los Angeles County plan check guideline. Other states set their own rules.

How wide is a food truck?

On the National Network of highways, federal rules say no state may set a width limit above or below 102 inches, and mirrors and handholds don’t count toward it. Step van bodies come in under that: 89 or 95 inches outside on the Morgan Olson sheet.

Inside, 93 inches of width sounds like a lot until you put 30-inch-deep equipment on one wall. California’s 30-inch minimum aisle for occupied units is a good number to test against, and the how to design a food truck layout guide walks through aisle planning.

How big is a food trailer?

Food trailers are sold by box size: 6x12, 7x14, 7x16, 8.5x16, 8.5x20, 8.5x24 and 8.5x26 are all sizes concession dealers such as Kinema Trailer Depot sell. The first number is the width in feet and the second is the box length, not counting the tongue.

Two plain cargo shells from Renown Cargo Trailers give a sense of scale:

• 7x16: 80 inches wide inside, 75 inches tall inside, 19 ft 6 in long overall with the tongue.
• 8.5x20: 96 inches wall to wall, 84 inches between the wheel wells, 78 inches tall inside, 23 ft 6 in long overall with a 3 ft 6 in tongue, and 102 inches wide outside.

Concession builds often order extra height, and Concession Nation notes that trailers are about a foot wider than step vans and have taller ceilings. The food trailer sizes guide covers what fits in each size.

How big is a food cart?

Carts are small and rules on their size are local. King County, Washington limits a sidewalk cart body to 3 by 6 feet, with two wing extensions of no more than 18 inches each, and says cities can require smaller. Check with your city before you buy or build a food cart.

How much does a food truck weigh?

Weight is rated, not fixed, because it depends on the build. The Freightliner MT45 chassis is rated at 14,140 to 19,500 lb gross vehicle weight (truck plus everything in it), and the MT55 at 20,500 to 30,000 lb. Water is heavy, so a full fresh tank, a wastewater tank, a generator and propane cylinders all count against that rating.

Trailers are lighter. North Carolina Trailer Sales puts single-axle 6x12 enclosed trailers under 3,000 lb GVWR and tandem-axle versions at 7,000 lb. The Renown 8.5x20 cargo trailer weighs 3,200 lb empty, before any kitchen goes in.

Where can a food truck park?

Parking rules come from your city, not from vehicle specs. Fire codes also add clearance. The NFPA food truck fact sheet calls for at least 10 feet from buildings, other vehicles and combustibles unless the local fire official says otherwise. Plan your spot for the whole footprint, including the tongue on a trailer and any generator cage.

Planning a layout from real dimensions

Once you have the interior length and width, start a plan. In the free food truck layout maker, pick a 14, 16, 18 or 20 ft step van or a trailer size, then edit the length and width to match your measurements. Equipment snaps to a 6-inch grid, and the clearance readout shows the aisle between items as you drag them. The food truck design overview covers the rest of the process.