Custom Mobile Food Equipment has been customizing walk-in trucks, often referred to as step-vans, as canteen trucks since the early1960s. In recent years it has increasingly customized these trucks as Disaster Relief Vehicles (DRVs) in response to the demand generated by emergencies such as 9/11 and the slew of hurricanes that hit Florida last year. Such trucks are also ideal for supporting a force of officers on a special assignment. A prime example is the New York City Police department. It's detective's union, the Detectives' Endowment Association, uses a 12-foot walk-in to support the city's detective force when it is performing uniformed detail work for special events, such as New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving Day Parade, St. Patrick's Day Parade and similar events.
