Can I Drive My Catering Van With the Fryers On?

Mobile catering van driving on a UK country road between pitches

Mobile catering van driving on a UK country road between pitches

I'm starting a mobile burger van but I won't be on a pitch I'll be on the move. Am I allowed to travel with the fryers on?

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May 21, 2026
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by: MobCater

This is an important one to get right before you ever turn a wheel, because hot oil and a moving vehicle are a dangerous mix. The short answer is no, you should never drive with the fryers lit or the gas running. Oil sloshes the moment you brake, corner or hit a pothole, and a live burner in a van that is bouncing down the road is asking for a fire or a nasty burn. I learned early on how unforgiving hot fat and gas can be, so this is one area where I never cut corners.

The way it actually works when you are trading on the move is simple. You travel with everything cold and switched off, then you fire the fryers up once you have parked and you are stationary. Before you set off again, you turn the propane off at the cylinder, give things time to cool, and make sure the bottles are secured upright so nothing can shift. My own pre-driving routine never changes: gas off at the bottle, fridge and storage doors locked so they cannot swing open, and every loose bit of kit strapped down. It takes two minutes and it has saved me more than once.

There is a legal side to this as well. Under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations your load has to be secure, and an open fryer full of hot oil is the opposite of secure. Running gas appliances while driving would also almost certainly invalidate your insurance if anything went wrong, so heating on the move is not just dangerous, it can leave you uninsured and on the wrong side of the law.

One last thing worth saying: make sure your gas setup is sound in the first place. The chap who sold me my first van had a hand that was badly scarred from a faulty cut-off switch that kept letting gas through after the flame had gone out. Get your LPG system checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer and keep that certificate current, and you will save yourself a lot of worry on the road.

Keep going

David

Disclaimer: Gas installation and maintenance must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Never attempt gas work yourself. Check gassaferegister.co.uk for qualified engineers in your area.

Try the free MobCater App, our startup checklist and guide walks you through every step: https://www.mobcater.co.uk/mobile-catering.html

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