Getting Started in American Truck Simulator

This starter guide provides advice for truckers who are beginning their trucker journey. American Truck Simulator can be daunting although this is a beginner's guide teaching you the basics on how to become a legendary trucker.

Introduction

To get started, you will first need a copy of American Truck Simulator on Steam. The simulator is normally on sale after downloadable content gets released or Steam Sales through random weekend sales, Steam Summer Sale or Steam Winter Sale. Upon getting your copy of American Truck Simulator install all the downloadable content you acquired to make sure to can travel to all the states that are available to you.

Journey

Before you can become a successful truck driver you need your own truck and money, so let's see how you can get there.

Taking your first Job

When you first start the simulator, you will be asked to pick your truck and deliver cargo to a specific location. Upon delivery of the cargo from your first time this will give you access to the 'Quick Job'. Quick Jobs are contracts that you can take which a company loans you a company truck to use and you as the truck driver has to deliver that cargo to a specific location.

Keybinds

Learning the basics of driving your truck, for more controls visit: Controls

Action	Keyboard Shortcut	Uses
Acceleration		Drive Forward
Braking/Reversing		Brake or Reverse
Turn Left		Turning Left
Turn Right		Turning Right
Start/Stop Engine		Start the Truck
Handbrake		N/A
Left Turn Signal		Turn signal for left turn
Right Turn Signal		Turn signal for right turn
Toggle Light Modes		Turn on all lights
Windshield Wipers		Enable wipers
Cruise Control		Enable cruise control
Dashboard Display Mode		Change in-truck displays
Confirm Selection		Confirmation
Connect/Disconnect Trailer		Connect or Disconnect Trailer from Truck
Screenshot		Take a Screenshot
Main Control Panel		Pause Menu
Interior Camera		Inside Camera.
Third Person Camera		Outside Camera.

Unlocking Skills

Skills is how you want to manage your own independent contractor truck business. Some drivers love high value cargo, hazardous cargo or even long-distance cargo contracts. Most truckers pick long-distance cargo contracts since they do provide more money upon delivering the cargo. The one skill you may want to get first would be Long-Distance so that you can haul and get longer contracts. The last thing to get would be Ecodriving so that you can save money on fuel, although this doesn't come into effect until you actually own a truck so that you can save money. After focusing on valued contracts that can bring in money, it can help you buy a truck from a used truck dealer or pay off a truck from your Bank.

Skill Guide:

1. Long-Distance
2. High Value Cargo
3. ADR
4. Fragile Cargo
5. Just In Time Delivery
6. Ecodriving

Buying a Truck

The most challenging task and finding the truck you love the most. Before you press "Buy" on any truck, be sure to use the 'Quick Job' contracts to drive all the trucks available so you can have a preference on which truck or truck brand you like the most. Your truck is your own Office on the road, to pick something that you like. You have a few options to choose from when getting your first truck. Option one would be buying a brand new truck which doesn't have any issues and it's straight from the factory. Customize it how you want from the color to the accessories. Or option two would be buying a used truck via the used truck dealer with a lower overhead so that you don't have to spend €200,000 on a brand new truck. When buying a used truck they will have some issues and you can't customize it since it was already driven by another truck driver. Buying a truck is self-satisfaction, no more quick jobs! You can now roam free and drive anywhere without being tied down to a contract. You can sleep at hotels and take long hauls with ease.

Upgrading your Truck

Making your office provides a better lifestyle for you and that applies to your truck as well. Upgrading/customizing your truck to feature cosmetic items like a laptop or food/beverages can help you as a trucker feel like you're at home when on the road. You can of course expand your cosmetics with the Cabin Accessories add-on/DLC.

Buying a Garage

Choosing your own garage location is all down to personal preference. Most truckers pick a garage where it's close to home, some pick garages near seaports or ferries so that they can easily travel to and from different states and easier for your fleet drivers to travel to different locations.

Starting a Fleet

Building out your own independent contractor truck business is how your company generates income on a daily basis. Before you start your fleet you will need to purchase a garage in a location of your choosing which you would have done above in Buying a Garage. Once you are ready and you have the funds from your Bank or personal finances to buy trucks for your company you will need to head to a truck dealer to purchase standard truck which you can assign a driver to.

Hiring Drivers

When you have bought your second truck to add to your fleet at your garage, head to a recruitment agency to hire a driver for the truck you just purchased. Driver talents range from skill, pay and how long they have been a trucker for. The more experienced drivers will cost more money, while the non-experienced drivers can cost less but they can waste more money on repairs and fuel.

Connecting Online

Convoy

Convoy is the "online" dedicated feature in the trucking simulator series. Convoy servers allow up to 8 truckers in one online session to drive together, complete the same contracts and drive to same location without having to drive alone.

World of Trucks

World of Trucks is a website managed by SCS Software which allows you to take 'External Contracts' through their own service which provide real-time contracts that expire if you don't complete the delivery in time. They are also speed limited to specific speed. World of Trucks also features custom achievements outside of the standard Steam Achievements called World of Trucks Achievements. These achievements allow you to gain custom rewards for completing achievements like Halloween and Christmas themed content.