By James | Founder & Executive Director

Hi, I’m James. You might know me as the person behind Baolicious, but today I want to share a different story—the story of why I started TRUCKD UP.

The Reality Behind the Window

I entered the food truck world in 2018 with a vision that many of you share: a simple goal to serve food that makes people smile. But as any operator in Perth will tell you, the journey from a dream to the street is anything but simple.

In the beginning, I didn’t have a guidebook. I learned everything the hard way—through raw experience, one challenge at a time. I’ve lived through:

• The Long Nights: Prepping until dawn for a weekend festival.
• The Equipment Failures: When a fryer goes down in the middle of a lunch rush.
• The “No’s”: Navigating event rejections and permit hurdles.
• The Wrong Partners: Dealing with suppliers who didn’t understand the mobility of a kitchen.

There were plenty of moments where I wondered if I could keep going. But I pushed through, and Baolicious grew. It became more than a business; it became a part of the WA community. We showed up at markets, joined the festival circuits, and met countless passionate people who had their own incredible food dreams.

The Turning Point

That’s when I realized something heartbreaking: So many great food ideas never make it to the street. It’s rarely because the food isn’t good enough. It’s because the journey—the technical builds, the compliance, the logistics—is too hard to navigate alone. People were spending their life savings on trucks that weren’t functional, or getting stuck before they even launched.

Why TRUCKD UP Exists

I created TRUCKD UP to change the narrative for the next generation of mobile entrepreneurs.

This business isn’t just about “building food trucks.” It’s about taking my eight years of scars, successes, and secrets and building them into your vehicle. When we design a layout, it’s based on how I know a chef moves. When we source equipment, it’s based on what I know survives a WA summer.

We are here to make sure you:

• Build Smarter: Avoiding the layout mistakes I made.
• Launch Faster: Navigating the red tape with an expert by your side.
• Survive Longer: Engineering a truck that actually lasts on the road.

I’m not just your builder; I’m someone who has stood exactly where you are standing right now. Let’s get your dream on the road, the right way.

— James