Earlier this month, new county regulations went into effect which eliminated an onerous $3,500 fee for food trucks that operate for more than two months and reduced an inspection fee from $75 to $35.

The aim was counter the reputation that the county has as an unfriendly place for food trucks to do business. But food trucks have already been doing well well along Route 1.

Four of the county’s six “food truck hubs” are are located on the corridor: including Town Center Market in Riverdale Park, the Capital Office Park in Greenbelt and the Discovery District in College Park, and Mount Rainier will hold a “food truck extravaganza” as early as this spring as it considers whether to become a food hub as well.

Food trucks are a common site at the area’s farmer’s markets, special events like Hyattsville’s Art and Ales Festival and businesses like Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. and, eventually, The Hall in College Park. The University of Maryland holds a Food Truck Festival and even runs its own food truck.

In recent years, food trucks have become a big business, with the industry projected to soon cross the $1 billion mark.

They encourage entrepreneurialism, with the average food truck costing $55,000 to $75,000 to get started, compared to $250,000 to $500,000 to start a traditional restaurant. And many food trucks end up leading to regular brick-and-mortar businesses, as happened with the fast-growing District Taco chain, which has a location in the Station at Riverdale Park.

Working in tandem with food halls like Brentwood’s Savor at Studio 3807, food trucks are helping lower the barriers in an industry that’s notoriously hard to break into.

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