American Truck Simulator – Game

American Truck Simulator is a truck driving simulator with business management elements. A beginning player will be directed to found a truck driving business and select a home city from which to operate that business. Upon selection of the home city, the player will own the pre-placed truck garage located in that city, which will operate as the player’s home base.

During gameplay, the player will select from a menu of currently available goods delivery routes to drive one of several models of trailer-hooked truck and deliver the selected load to a designated location within a fixed amount of time. By making such deliveries, the player earns money for the player’s company and experience points for the player themself. By delivering the selected cargo to its designation within the allotted time and with the least damage to the goods, the player will maximize the amount of money and experience points earned. Late deliveries or deliveries with damage will result in the player earning reduced cash and experience points. The amount of money and experience points earned are commensurate to the length of the delivery in distance traveled and type of goods being transported.

A beginning player will own a garage, but no trucks or trailers. The player will begin by completing “quick jobs,” which are goods deliveries that utilize an in-game company’s trucks and trailers. Once the player has earned enough money, the player may then begin purchasing one or more trucks, but the player may continue making “quick job” deliveries if desired. After purchasing a truck, the player may elect to use the purchased truck for deliveries, or go back to performing quick job deliveries.

As the player completes deliveries, the player will unlock skills by spending experience points to purchase particular skills upgrades. These upgrade categories include fuel efficiency, route delivery distance, carrying heavy cargo, carrying dangerous goods, carrying fragile cargoes, or making urgent deliveries.

The money earned by the player’s company will automatically be used to pay back any company loans the player obtains for the company or to pay any fines incurred in the course of the player’s gameplay. The money is also needed to pay for fuel and maintenance on any vehicles or trailers owned by the player’s company. When performing quick job deliveries using an in-game company’s truck, repairs and other costs are paid by that in-game company and not from the funds of the player’s company. The player may also use the company’s money to purchase additional trucks and trailers which are held in designated slots in the garage.

The player may use company funds to hire NPC drivers (and pay their associated expenses), who are placed in additional driver slots in the garage. Once the player has earned sufficient money, the player may also purchase garages in other cities and hire NPC drivers to drive from those garages, as well. The longer an NPC driver is employed by the company, the more experience points they will earn, thus increasing the amount of money that driver earns from each delivery. Much like the player’s experience points, the player may direct the focus of each hired driver’s experience points, thereby ensuring that particular hired drivers become experts in particular skill areas, such as hauling dangerous goods or performing long-haul deliveries.

Company money may be used to upgrade garages, which will allow the garages to hold additional trucks, trailers, and NPC drivers, as well as place a reduced-cost fueling station at the garage. The company money may be used to upgrade the company’s trucks and trailers, specifically by upgrading their associated aesthetic, mechanical, and structural upgrades.

While driving routes, the game will direct the player to stop at designated weigh stations to determine the weight of the cargo before being permitted to proceed (though the game may occasionally allow the driver to bypass such station). When crossing the border into the state of California (currently only in the northern part of the state), the player is similarly obliged to stop at California Border Protection Stations to have their vehicle inspected. Avoiding a weigh station or border protection station will result the player being fined.