SCS Software launched American Truck Simulator in February 2016 with California and Nevada, then spent the next decade adding states one map expansion at a time, from Arizona through Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. The world runs at roughly 1:20 scale, so a Los Angeles to Denver haul takes real hours rather than real days, and the 80,000 pound federal gross weight limit governs what you can legally put behind the cab. You start as a hired driver taking quick jobs, and end up running a company with garages, hired drivers and a fleet you specified engine by engine.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Buy your own trailer before buying a second truck
Buy your own trailer before buying a second truck. Owning the trailer means you keep the full delivery fee on freight market jobs instead of splitting it, and that difference funds the rest of the company faster than another cab ever will.
2. Place your first garage centrally rather than in your favourite city
Place your first garage centrally rather than in your favourite city. A garage in Nevada or Utah puts hired drivers within reach of far more of the map than one in the corner of California, and driver income depends on job availability near their base.
3. Spend early skill points on Long Distance
Spend early skill points on Long Distance. Almost every job in the game has a distance component, so the skill applies constantly, while specialised skills such as Fragile Cargo only pay on the jobs that use them.
4. Take ADR training as soon as you can afford the points
Take ADR training as soon as you can afford the points. Hazardous loads pay a premium over identical distances, and the only real cost is that you must drive more carefully to avoid damage penalties.
5. Refuel before mountain grades rather than after
Refuel before mountain grades rather than after. Climbing through Wyoming or Montana burns fuel far faster than flat interstate running, and the gaps between stations in those states are long enough to strand you.
6. Obey weigh station signs
Obey weigh station signs. Driving past an open station is a fine, and the fine plus the reputation hit costs more than the ninety seconds the stop takes.
7. Use cruise control on interstate stretches and set it just under the limit
Use cruise control on interstate stretches and set it just under the limit. It stops the slow creep over the speed limit that produces most speeding fines, and it improves the Ecodriving fuel figures at the same time.
8. Read the route before accepting oversize or heavy cargo
Read the route before accepting oversize or heavy cargo. Special Transport loads follow fixed escorted routes and Heavy Cargo loads struggle with tight urban approaches, so the job that looked profitable can turn into an hour of reversing.
9. Assign hired drivers to cargo types that match their trained skills
Assign hired drivers to cargo types that match their trained skills. A driver with Long Distance running short urban hops earns a fraction of what the same driver earns on cross state freight.
10. Sleep before your fatigue meter forces it
Sleep before your fatigue meter forces it. Falling asleep at the wheel does damage and time you cannot undo, and truck stops are common enough that a planned ten minute stop never costs a delivery deadline.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Long Distance (A-Tier):
- Focus on Job types and the freight market combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Kenworth W900
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For High Value Cargo (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Peterbilt 389
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how American Truck Simulator's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Job types and the freight market + Driver skills and ADR training: Quick jobs use a company truck and pay immediately, while freight market and cargo market jobs need your own truck and trailer and pay considerably more. Combined with Driver skills and ADR training, experience spends into long distance, high value cargo, fragile cargo, just in time delivery, ecodriving and adr hazardous materials classes.
Garages, hired drivers and company growth + Truck configuration and engine choice: Buying and upgrading a garage gives you slots for trucks and hired drivers who run their own jobs while you sleep. When paired with Truck configuration and engine choice, every truck lets you pick engine, transmission, chassis layout, cabin and fuel tank.
Fatigue, fines and cargo damage scaling: Your driver gets tired and needs sleep, police issue fines for speeding, red lights, wrong way driving and skipping weigh stations, and cargo takes damage from collisions. All three are deductions from a delivery fee that looked much better when you accepted it.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Kenworth W900 | Long interstate hauls where character matters more than tight dock manoeuvring. | The long nose conventional with a huge hood and a classic cab. |
| Peterbilt 389 | Players building a signature truck they will look at for hundreds of hours. | The other long nose icon, heavily customisable with chrome, exhaust stacks and lighting. |
| Volvo VNL | High mileage economy runs and hazmat work where predictability beats style. | A modern aerodynamic cab with excellent visibility and a comfortable interior. |
| Freightliner Cascadia | New players who want one truck that does every job type competently. | The most common truck on real American highways, and in game it is the efficient all rounder. |
| International LoneStar | Drivers who want classic styling without the parking penalty of a full length hood. | A retro styled modern truck with a distinctive front end. |
Location Efficiency
California (Base game, level 1 onward): Base game territory, from Los Angeles and San Diego up through Bakersfield and Fresno to San Francisco, Sacramento and Redding. The most varied road network in the game, mixing eight lane urban freeway with Highway 101 coastline.
Texas (Map expansion DLC): The biggest single map expansion at release, running from El Paso across to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin with long empty stretches through Amarillo and Lubbock. Distances here are where Long Distance skill points earn their keep.
Wyoming (Map expansion DLC): Wide open high country between Cheyenne, Casper, Rock Springs and Sheridan, with mountain grades and winter feeling roads. Light traffic and long sightlines make it a favourite for relaxed driving.
Montana (Map expansion DLC): Big sky country linking Billings, Missoula, Helena, Bozeman and Great Falls, with serious elevation change and some of the best scenery SCS has built. Grades here reward engine power and early braking.
Oregon (Map expansion DLC): The 2018 expansion and still one of the best looking, covering Portland, Salem, Eugene, Bend, Medford and the coast road. Forest cargo and river valleys give it a different feel from the desert states.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Taking quick jobs forever because they need no trailer, and never accumulating the capital to buy a truck that pays double.
- Buying a 600 horsepower engine for flat dry van work, where a 450 does the same job and burns less fuel.
- Ignoring cargo damage on fragile loads, then watching a long haul fee evaporate into penalties at the dock.
- Placing every garage in the same corner of the map so hired drivers compete for the same small pool of jobs.
- Speeding through small towns where the limit drops sharply, which is where most players collect their fines.
Pro Quick Tips
- Buy your own trailer before buying a second truck. Owning the trailer means you keep the full delivery fee on freight market jobs instead of splitting it, and that difference funds the rest of the company faster than another cab ever will.
- Place your first garage centrally rather than in your favourite city. A garage in Nevada or Utah puts hired drivers within reach of far more of the map than one in the corner of California, and driver income depends on job availability near their base.
- Spend early skill points on Long Distance. Almost every job in the game has a distance component, so the skill applies constantly, while specialised skills such as Fragile Cargo only pay on the jobs that use them.
- Start with High Value Cargo, switch to Long Distance when ready
- Invest in Kenworth W900 above everything else
- Clear areas in order: California → Texas → Wyoming → Montana → Oregon. See our maps guide
- Job types and the freight market + Driver skills and ADR training together are stronger than either alone
More American Truck Simulator Guides
- American Truck Simulator American Truck Simulator Overview
- American Truck Simulator Best Builds
- American Truck Simulator Tier List
- American Truck Simulator Walkthrough
- American Truck Simulator Beginner's Guide
- American Truck Simulator Weapons Guide
- American Truck Simulator Combat Guide
- American Truck Simulator Boss Guide
- American Truck Simulator Maps & Locations
- American Truck Simulator Crafting Guide
- American Truck Simulator Classes & Characters
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