# How does one become an ice cream man? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915 "2009-03-18T18:16:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/1 "2009-03-18T18:16:55Z")
Let’s say I have a van full of candy and a scratchy record player with “Pop goes the weasel” on endless loop. Can I start driving around in my neighborhood selling candy or do I have to apply for some kind of license? And do police check if these guys have a criminal record before allowing them to do this? ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/2 "2009-03-18T18:34:57Z")
There’s probably a lot of variation among jurisdictions, but: > [@](#): > > The City of Columbus is not supposed to allow just anybody to cruise streets. To ensure public safety, all peddlers are supposed to undergo a background check before the city gives them a license. Columbus disqualifies applicants who have recent felonies, Aker reported. [http://www.10tv.com/live/content/teninvestigates/stories/2008/07/03/ice\_cream\_trucks.html?sid=102](http://www.10tv.com/live/content/teninvestigates/stories/2008/07/03/ice_cream_trucks.html?sid=102) ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/3 "2009-03-18T18:37:30Z")
Of course, you’d probably also need a sales tax permit and a business license. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/4 "2009-03-18T19:21:39Z")
Before I met him, my husband was an ice cream dude. He leased the truck from the ice cream company (Glacier Ice Cream on Industrial Drive in Barrington), put his own gas in it, and purchased the ice cream through Glacier. He needed a DL. That’s it. No special business license or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/5 "2009-03-18T19:44:36Z")
Here is an example of a requirement for a peddler’s license from Troy, MI: > [@](#): > > “Peddler” shall mean any person traveling by foot, wagon, automotive vehicle or other conveyance, from place to place, from house to house, or from street to street, carrying, conveying or transporting goods, wares, merchandise, meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, garden truck, farm products or provisions, offering and exposing the same for sale or making sales and delivering articles to purchasers, or who takes or attempts to take orders for sale of goods, wares and merchandise, books or magazines, personal property of any nature whatsoever for future delivery, or for services to be furnished or performed in the future, whether or not such individual has, carries or exposes for sale a sample of the subject of such sale or whether he is collecting advance payments on such sales or not. Any person who solicits orders and as a separate transaction makes deliveries to purchasers as part of a scheme or design to evade the provisions of this Chapter, shall be deemed a peddler. The word “peddler” shall include the words, “hawker”, “huckster” and “canvasser”. The word “peddler” shall not include agents of utility companies or firms franchised by referendum of the electorate of the City of Troy or agents of such firms governed by franchise ordinance(s) enacted by the City Council of the City of Troy following an affirmative advisory vote on the question by said electorate. > > * * * > > No person shall solicit or peddle for any cause whatsoever, except as otherwise provided in this Chapter, within the City of Troy, without a permit or license from the City Clerk, authorizing such solicitation or peddling. [http://www.troymi.gov/CodeAndCharter/Code/CH074.pdf](http://www.troymi.gov/CodeAndCharter/Code/CH074.pdf) And here is the application: [http://www.troymi.gov/Clerks/Forms/PeddlersApplication.pdf](http://www.troymi.gov/Clerks/Forms/PeddlersApplication.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![HomeBrewer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8797f3/32.png) [@HomeBrewer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HomeBrewer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/6 "2009-03-19T05:41:02Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > Before I met him, my husband was an ice cream dude. He leased the truck from the ice cream company (Glacier Ice Cream on Industrial Drive in Barrington), put his own gas in it, and purchased the ice cream through Glacier. He needed a DL. That’s it. No special business license or anything. Might you ask him to give us some idea of how much these guys make? I’ve always wanted to know. ---
**Author:** ![Chase\_Ransom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@Chase\_Ransom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chase_Ransom)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/7 "2009-03-19T06:49:43Z")
> [@HomeBrewer](#): > > Might you ask him to give us some idea of how much these guys make? I’ve always wanted to know. I’ve always wanted to know how they don’t go crazy with the damn song playing in a loop over and over and over and… ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/8 "2009-03-19T07:14:13Z")
> [@HomeBrewer](#): > > Might you ask him to give us some idea of how much these guys make? I’ve always wanted to know. I did that for awhile, along with my first husband and my brother (we each had our own truck). I don’t remember how much we made, but it wasn’t much. Pretty dismal, as I remember. It didn’t last long because we couldn’t make a living at it. Edit to add, we didn’t have continuously-playing songs, just a bell that we rang. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/9 "2009-03-19T14:54:04Z")
The first thing you need is white pants! I asked one of those guys if he got insanely tired of the recorded calliope music all day. He said, between the truck’s engine and all the compressors, he couldn’t even hear the music. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/10 "2009-03-19T14:55:43Z")
I image the list of Health Department Rules & Regulations must be very long. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-ice-cream-man/489915/11 "2009-03-19T16:54:30Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I did that for awhile, along with my first husband and my brother (we each had our own truck). I don’t remember how much we made, but it wasn’t much. Pretty dismal, as I remember. It didn’t last long because we couldn’t make a living at it. > > Edit to add, we didn’t have continuously-playing songs, just a bell that we rang. Husband didn’t last even a week I don’t think (can’t reach him right now). He ended up giving up and going to his old neighborhood (Ivy Hill - Arlington Heights) and gave all the damn ice cream away he told me last night.