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.
