Hello, this is XboxAhoy... and this is my Trucking Handbook - a comprehensive guide
to the basics of Euro Truck Simulator 2.
On the face of it, trucking seems like a simple enough career - driving from point A to point
B, with trailer in tow.
As ever, the devil is in the details - and there are a whole host of impediments, hazards
and other risk factors than can conspire to delay your delivery.
And as a trucker, deliveries are your business - while you can drive aimlessly about the
roads of Europe, in order to make any money you will need to find some source of employment.
There are two different job types available: Quick Jobs and the Freight Market.
The latter requires you to own your own truck, so for new drivers Quick Jobs are the way
to go.
As a driver-for-hire, you'll find yourself already at the pickup point, with trailer
attached - which neatly sidesteps the need to carefully back-up and hitch your cargo.
On the other hand, the Freight Market will yield better paying jobs, as an owner-operator
takes on the risk of vehicle management: but you will first have to make your way to the
consigner, and collect the trailer yourself.
Attaching a trailer is relatively simple, but might take a little practice to master.
You'll need to reverse your truck onto the trailer coupling, so the first step is to
take up position, facing the right direction, some distance ahead of the trailer.
Then, carefully making any adjustments as you go, slowly reverse towards your trailer
until you're prompted to make the attachment.
Once connected, you're free to get into first gear and begin hauling your load to your destination.
Now, driving with a trailer attached poses a number of challenges - as a long vehicle
you need to keep a keen eye on your mirrors as to avoid potential collision.
Even negotiating the goods yard can be fraught with risk - take care negotiating any tight
corners, and give yourself plenty of space on the inside edge to give the trailer room
to manoeuvre.
Hugging the apex with your cab will result in your trailer cutting the corner, potentially
damaging your cargo or colliding with another road user.
For most jobs, the first portion of your journey will be escaping the city traffic - a sometimes
slow ordeal of non-stop red lights, heavy traffic and low speed limits.
Patience is the key for the most part - cutting corners, jumping traffic lights or speeding
will all just lead to incurring fines, which will cut into your ever-thinning profit margin.
Take a deep breath, turn on the radio and wait out the queues, and before too long you'll
be out of the city and up to speed.
Talking of speed, you should be mindful of the limit at all times: should you get caught
going too fast you will be stung with a hefty fine.
In built-up areas you should be going 50 kilometres per hour (or 30 miles per hour) - and otherwise
keep an eye on any posted limit.
Your truck will have a speed limiter, so at full pelt you'll top out at 90 kilometres
per hour (or 55 miles per hour) - and this is usually under most highway limits.
However, some sections of road may be slightly under your cruising speed - so it's worthwhile
keeping an eye out, as slowing down slightly is less of an inconvenience than a €550
fine.
In an ideal world, you'll be spending most of your time on the motorway, autobahn, autoroute
or snelweg.
These dual-carriageway routes are fast, unobstructed, and span the entirety of Europe - so much
of the distance you travel will be on roads of this ilk.
Cruise control is a godsend when it comes to these unending stripes of asphalt, freeing
up your means of throttle control for an altogether more relaxing drive.
Set it when you hit your speed limiter, and aim to stay at your optimal cruising speed
for as long as you are able - it's here that you'll be operating at maximum efficiency.
Touching the throttle or brake will disengage cruise control - and this is usually a good
idea when departing the motorway, or to avert a potential crash.
It's a good idea to watch your lane discipline when cruising - make sure you don't drift
outside your allotted lane, otherwise you run the risk of clipping other motorists,
or - worse still - the central barrier.
It's generally good etiquette to stick to the inner lane, to permit other, faster, drivers
to overtake you safely.
In some cases, however, you will need to change lanes - either to overtake someone yourself,
or to negotiate a junction.
In some cases, notably on the German Autobahn, the nearside lane becomes the junction exit,
so if you want to remain on the carriageway you must move to the outer lane.
Doing so should be done carefully, and ideally well in advance - keep an eye on your GPS
and plan your position accordingly.
Again, courtesy dictates the use of your indicators, but your mirrors are absolutely indispensable
for transitioning between lanes, being your only means of seeing behind.
Check that your way is clear before beginning your manoeuvre, and be aware that cars may
not always be visible in your mirrors - smaller vehicles can easily hide in your blind spots.
In most cases, however, changing lanes is relatively simple - as long as you prepare
for junctions ahead of time, motorway driving is for the most part, very simple.
Local roads serve as a contrast to the relative monotony of the motorways, by providing a
more scenic route across some of the European countryside.
These roads are twisty single carriageways, often found near mountainous passes, with
hairpin curves negotiating the steeper gradients.
Such roads are often slower going, with heavier traffic - it's not uncommon to get caught
up in a convoy of sluggish cars, usually stuck behind a slower truck.
Overtaking is a risky venture, with the threat of oncoming traffic and the slow acceleration
of a fully laden truck.
Often, it's best to keep your impatience in check, engage cruise control to match the
vehicle ahead, and bide your time until you can once again cruise at top speed.
As you level up and unlock skill points, you'll be able to extend your reach across Europe
by investing in your long-haul ability.
Such jobs naturally take longer, but do pay much better - and so the bigger jobs will
become the mainstay for more experienced truckers.
Longer journeys do throw up new challenges, however - and once you cross the diurnal threshold
into multi-day jobs, you must start to consider when it's best to make a pit stop.
Fuel is a depletable resource that can become a concern - it's best to keep your tank topped
up whenever the opportunity presents itself, lest you be caught running on vapors with
no fuel station in sight.
Top-ups are expensive, but it's not worth skimping on - and while a full tank might
cost a thousand euros or more, it will keep you trucking for a while.
Rest stops are another essential interruption in your driving - without them, you'll incur
fines, and eventually start falling asleep at the wheel - neither of these events good
for your bottom line.
Your first cue to your own tiredness might be an occasional yawn - and unless you're
on a very tight deadline, it might be wise to heed your fatigue and pull over at the
next rest stop.
8 hours later you'll be fully refreshed, and ready to carry on - and while sleep might
delay your delivery, most jobs have a comfortable allowance for such stops.
Longer jobs might call for multiple stops, and it's easy to slip out of a 24-hour cycle
and find yourself working the night-shift.
Driving at night can be dangerous in its own right - pitch black conditions will harm your
visibility, and can make spotting traffic in your mirrors nigh impossible.
Turning on your headlights will let you see where you're going at least, and will ensure
that other road users can see you clearly.
The roads are a little quieter at night, so you can often make good time. Your high beams
will provide a better view of the roadway, but should be reserved for times when you
won't dazzle oncoming traffic.
Europe is not a homogeneous place - a typical long-haul delivery might take you through
multiple countries, each with their own road network - and associated quirks.
Most notable is the divide between the United Kingdom and the rest of the continent - not
only is there a waterway to traverse, but different driving conventions as well.
Most of Europe drives on the right, but in Britain you'll need to stick to the left:
in itself not particularly difficult, but depending on your truck such handedness might
pose an issue.
When driving a non-native truck, beware the fast lane - your reduced visibility on your
far side might lead to a high-speed scrape.
As you'll probably spend most of your time on the continent, it might be wise to stick
to left-hand-drive trucks - just be careful, and make good use of your mirrors, while in
the UK.
Another notable difference is in miles versus kilometres - in the UK all speed limits are
posted in miles per hour, while on the continent its all kilometres.
Those not aware of the conversions might get stung by speeding fine, so it's worth becoming
familiar with the two measurements.
Just remember - 30 miles is approximately 50 kilometres, and 50 miles 80 kilometres
- any other limit is likely to be faster than your speed limiter, and so is of lower concern.
Beyond the rules of the road, there are a few other geographical differences you'll
discover as you traverse the continent.
The UK is a small island with a dense motorway network festooned with speed cameras, easy
enough to traverse if you remember to drive on the left.
Naturally to see the remainder of the continent, you'll need to either take the ferry or the
EuroTunnel - a variety of options span the North Sea, taking you to either France or
the Netherlands.
What's nice about the longer ferry trips is you can take the opportunity to get some sleep,
and arrive in mainland Europe feeling quite refreshed.
France is a little less dense, and has a fairly comprehensive autoroute network - although
beware the numerous toll booths which will rob you of both your momentum, and your coin.
The south of France become more scenic, but you'll also find more single-carriageways
here, which may slow your progress - and this trend continues all the way to the mountainous
terrain of northern Italy.
Belgium is like France sans tollbooth, and the Netherlands is much the same, only flatter.
Blink and you might miss Luxembourg, being such a small country with little impedance.
Germany is a major country that will no doubt be a common feature in many of your routes,
and the ultra-efficient Autobahns are a joy to drive.
Switzerland is a blend of German efficiency with the beauty of northern Italy, with scenic
mountain vistas your reward for any time spent outside of the numerous tunnels.
Head further east and you'll start to press the extent of the drivable roads - with terminal
destinations in Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovakia.
Progress is relatively straightforward here, but some routes will take you directly through
cities, resulting in a slower pace and potential delay.
Sometimes even the weather will conspire against you, and the heavens will open to release
a deluge upon truck, trailer, all and sundry.
A simple flick of your windshield wiper switch will restore most visibility, but damp conditions
make for greasier roads - so it might be wise to apply caution around tight corners, and
compensate accordingly for an increase in stopping distance.
Roadworks are another occasional threat, often with a sudden drop in speed limit and extremely
narrow lanes requiring an ounce of caution.
Most of the time, any lane alterations will be obvious, but it's wise to keep your eyes
open lest you miss an alteration to the posted speed limit.
Perhaps a more insidious threat to truck and trailer is the deceptively tight corner - even
some motorways can have rather severe curves that can threaten your stability.
At speed, turning too sharply with a trailer can result in disastrous oversteer - rather
than truck leading trailer, your cab wheels will lift off the tarmac, and the trailer
will start to exert its own will.
Caught early, such loss of control can be averted - but those naive to the danger might
be caught out, and find themselves suddenly stationary, jackknifed across multiple lanes
- and subject to steep repair bills.
Similarly dangerous are the tight coils of the typical off-ramp - take these at too great
a speed, and you might find yourself helplessly languishing on your side - and in such cases
your only help is to call for roadside assistance.
Recovery will cost a substantial amount, and will often leave you off-route and behind
schedule - but calling for assistance is your only option should you find yourself stuck.
It may also be worth considering a tow even if you remain mobile - in cases of severe
engine damage, the frequent stoppages caused by engine malfunctions may be inconvenient
to the point of delay - so a trip to the nearest city for repairs may work out as a net gain.
Of course, it should be your goal to make your journey without major incident or damage
- and as long as you're careful, severe accidents should be rare.
As you wind down the miles you'll edge closer to your goal - hopefully on time, and with
unrustled cargo.
Arriving at your destination city, you'll be greeted with another round of traffic lights
- once again, patience at the delays will prevent last-minute mistakes.
Arriving at your GPS terminus will mean you can soon collect your payment - pull into
the yard and locate the white outline indicating your drop-off point.
You can park manually for a small XP bonus - although the process is tricky, requiring
careful reversing - and so it might often be easier to have someone park on your behalf.
Job done, the cycle continues - eventually you'll be able to afford your own truck, and
then take on additional drivers, open new garages across Europe - and forge a profitable
trucking business.
That is, of course, assuming you don't spend all your available cash on cosmetic upgrades
for your truck: some of the more expensive paint jobs will cost you €50,000 - money
perhaps best invested in more meaningful upgrades.
As you level up, you'll gain access to more powerful trucks - and it can definitely be
worth spending money on more horsepower.
While your top speed will still be limited, more power means you'll spend more time at
maximum efficiency - and you'll have the grunt needed to power past slower trucks on the
dangerous single-lane roads.
Different trucks will have slightly different characteristics, with a different set of upgrades
available: some favour raw power, whereas some might be more forgiving in the curves.
Whichever you choose, your truck will soon become your home away from home - not to mention
your livelihood, as you rack up the miles - or kilometres, depending on your inclination.
Take on board these tips as you travel, and you'll be set for your journey. As you gain
experience, you'll unlock the higher paying jobs and eventually forge an empire.
It doesn't matter whether you're a greenhorn or a seasoned professional: whatever you do...
...just keep on truckin'.
Thanks for watching, this has been XboxAhoy.
Join me next time, when normal service will be resumed.
Until then, farewell.