How to Pick the Truck that is Right for You! Part 1

I. Delivery Type

II. Truck Type

III. Cab Type

IV. Proper Equipment

V. Modded Trucks

VI. Transmissions

i. Intro

Hello, truckers! Do you want to buy your own truck, drive freely with your machine in ATS and become an owner operator? Well I, NorthEast Freightways, bring to you the answer to a question which made me also buy trucks and sell them in a few real life hours after because I felt the truck just couldn't be my style!

I. Delivery Type

First, know what type of deliveries you prefer. Whether you have school, work or some other occupation that lessens your time in ATS at varying times, this guide will help ease the burden of time constraints for your benefit while playing ATS!

The types of DELIVERIES are:
.LTL (Less-than-Truckload) - Usually short runs and has light loads with multiple drop off locations (I know it's probably not said in ATS anywhere but I think it's in there somewhere as just a standard delivery but has the same freight coming from the same warehouse but goes to another, in my observations)
.Short Haul TL (Truck-Load) - These are short runs but can have varying load weights
.Regional - Runs vary in length, weight but runs start and end in the region where you live (an average of a few hundred miles distance away from home in most directions
Line Haul - Varies in distance but are usually back and forth (Company Facility to Receiver and back)
.Long Haul/OTR (Over-the-Road) - Runs are very long, load weights vary
.Heavy/Oversized - Any delivery breaking the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating = 80,000 lbs.) {Requires its DLC}
.Special Transport - As the name suggests, these can be somewhat short distance but for highly skilled truckers in plotting turns and following strict directions from escorts {Requires its DLC}

ii. Mid-Guide Notice:

When it comes to buying a truck after you get basic experience working for other companies and learning the different delivery types, you will be more capable of choosing better deliveries with better $ per mi.!

If you do regular contracts you can save and exit game without your delivery time running out on you while your not playing. If you do External Contracts, your deliveries run on REAL time, so make sure once you accept the responsibility to deliver that load, you can complete it withing the time frame given!
I suggest checking how much time you might have to drive and set a timer when you should be finished; before I wrote this I never used a timer and I used to take deliveries (while not paying attention to time) I didn't want to abandon them (e.g., External Contracts). I made that terrible mistake and took a long delivery. I didn't have much time to get the load delivered by the morning and I ended up finishing 3:00 AM! Don't make my mistake!

II. Trucks

Anyways, after you choose what type of deliveries you prefer, you will look at a list of different but uniquely beautiful trucks!
Currently there are the stock trucks provided by SCS Software, which are the:
.Kenworth W900 - Good for everything - best for flatbedding, Heavy/Oversized, Special Transports and for Owner Operators (O/O) who like class and style and long hood trucks!
.Kenworth T680 - Beautiful, sleek, fuel saving and for the O/O with a knack for modern tech in trucks! Best for Everything!
.Peterbilt 579 - Best fuel economist! An O/O would see its best performance in any delivery type, but mostly OTR, cuz it's fuel saving!
.Peterbilt 389 - Much like his cousin the KW900! More for the O/O that likes a little more customization!
.Volvo VNL - Good for LTL, Short Haul, TL, Regional/State, and OTR! Is a fuel economist when it comes to any of these delivery types!
.International Lonestar - Good for Regional/State and OTR [mainly]. Good for the O/O that likes its unique grille shape!
.Mack Anthem - Great for the O/O and Fleets. Fuel Efficiency is unrivaled and power is unmatched! Best for OTR and short-haul
.Western Star 49X - A true workhorse! Perfect for H/H, S/T and loads that are heavier than usual, Fuel Efficiency is an important plus to its design
.Freightliner Cascadia - A Favorite among Fleets. Very Fuel Efficient and has good power ratings. Best for OTR, Regional, and Short Haul with general freight, food, and other freights commonly weighed out around 40,000 - 50,000 lbs (Freight in/on Trailer)
International LT - Another Favorite among fleets. Fuel Efficient and used by many large carriers in large quantaties (just as the Cascadia) to make sure they have enough trucks for all their drivers and still within an affordable range.

All these trucks could have the option of a:
.Daycab - Great for LTL, Short Haul, and short TL runs
.Midroof/Flattop/Standup Sleeper - Great for Flatbeds, Oversized and Special Transports, not for van trailers because of the aerodynamic parts on top are not high to help reduce drag enough (it's aerodynamic science, really; (aerodynamicology?)
.Full/High Rise/RR Sleeper - Good for any delivery type, not necessarily local because of the usual city-like environments which are usually encountered with short deliveries making a longer wheelbase more inconveniencing

III. Modded Trucks

Modded trucks can be found in the ATS Steam Workshop and outside mod sites (e.g.; www.modland.net). Some I will name here:
.Freightliner Cascadia by CyrustheVirus - performs like the Volvo VNL
.Freightliner Cascadia by Frank Peru/Galimim - performs like Volvo VNL
.Freightliner FLD 120 by Lucasi - oldie that performs like a Volvo VNL and Kenworth or Peterbilt long hood together (without fuel economism)
.Volvo VNL 2018 by Frank Peru/Galimim - performs like Volvo VNL and saves even more fuel than his ancestor
.Volvo VNR by Frank Peru/Galimim - smaller cab than Volvo VNL 2018 ('19, '20) and is more related to LTL and short TL trucking than the new VNL
.Modified Peterbilt by Viper2 [GER] - like the SCS Peterbilt 389 but with more parts and upgrades
.Mack Anthem by Harven - Saves fuel like a pro and works for all job types
.Mack CHU613 by Redd - True workhorse that rivals the Kenworth W990 in fuel efficiency and horsepower
.Kenworth T880 by Frank Peru/Galimim - Extremely versatile for Oversized Loads and Special Transports
.International HX520 by Harven - A Newcomer made to compete with trucks like the Volvo VNX, Freightliner 132 and Western Star 49X; a Heavy Haul specific (Vocational)

and many more! Just search for trucks mods in a site like modland.net and you'll see!

IV. Transmissions

Know what you want transmission you would need, there is the:
.8 Speed - good for regular jobs
.9 Speed - good for standard loads that don't exceed the GVWR (80,000 lbs.)
.10 Speed - same as above
.13 Speed - good for heavier than the usual load
.18 Speed - best for heavy loads
.10 Speed Automatic - good for LTL and TL
.12 Speed Automatic - same as above; more common among fleets using Volvo/Mack Trucks or Daimler Trucks as PACCAR, as far as I have heard, uses Eaton Automated's which have Automated 10, 13, and some 18 speeds as well
.14 Speed Automatic - same as above, contains crawler gears usually to help with heavier loads

NOTE: I now list Automatic Transmissions because many players may not have the right gaming controller (shifter) to use Manuals. There's a catch to Automatic Transmissions, though: it pretty much controls what you would need to control in a manual like: how fast you go or how many gears you want to safely skip, it even affects the speed you can downshift going down a hill safely! So this is a hazard I perceive once I used an Auto. In a Manual Transmission going downhill you could use your engine brake to as low as you want to (in terms of revs), but on an Automatic, it will shift through the gears, cutting off your engine brake, making you use the brake pedal to slow down more than ever really being able to use the engine brake (because the Auto Trans is always shifting through gears while you need to slow down, which is way more important). So use an Auto at your own risk! I always use a Manual, and I never have a hard time going down a hill when I use it properly.

All work with any delivery, it's just that they really are made to be flexible with certain delivery types concerning weight and maneuverability.

And the most flexible transmission is: the 18 Speed! Because:
.You don't need to split your gears all the time!
.You can split some if your rpm range for shifting is too low when not splitting and shifting.
.It's really good for large up/down grades.

V. Making Sturdy and Purposeful Decisions

If you prefer to be dedicated to a certain type of deliveries be wise to buy what you need to suffice:
.Delivery/Job length
.Fuel Economics
.Trailer height and length

VI. Conclusion

There are a variety of ways to enjoy American Truck Simulator, you, being the Truck Driver, need to be wise in decision making --especially when buying a truck!

If you have questions, feel free to ask me in the comments so you can grasp this bit of info easier, if necessary!

by
NorthEast Freightways

[NorthEast Gaming]

An 18 speed is best for those trailers. From what I've heard the differential ratio is ideal, also. Somewhere around 2.85 and 3.40 should be good depending on where your driving.

[ジョナサンコスプレ]

I have something in my mind that I wanted to ask. What speed transmission would you recommend for me when I use turnpike doubles? I love using those trailers but getting speed can be tough. Maybe depends on what I am carrying. I usually use a 6 speed with Rocky Mountain doubles

[[B]-Lt Karnage]

Enjoy you day too :)

[NorthEast Gaming]

Well I am actually a guy. Thanks, however, and enjoy your day!

[ᴼDAE]

I mean, taken in the context on how you've written this 'guide' - literal sense is the only way a normal person would read this...

But don't let the constraints of common language use hold you back! You do you, you go girl!

[NorthEast Gaming]

Bud, it's just a phrase. It does not necessarily have to mean it is literally unmatched. Although a phrase, check out Rookie One's Engines and Transmissions Mod here on Steam. You'll discover even more powertrain options!

[ᴼDAE]

You say the Anthem has unmatched power but according to the engines available to it, it maxes out at 505/1860, which is considerably lower than the top performers. What did you mean by this?

[NorthEast Gaming]

No problem. I hope you enjoy your American Truck Simulator! Not sure how long you've played it so far, but I'm sure you can truly love the fact that you can use mods in this game. You can even get car mods, too!

[kiwikazen]

Thank you very much.

[NorthEast Gaming]

Mods from the Workshop are simply subscribed to and then activated in the game's Mod Manager. Non-Steam Workshop mods will need to be downloaded as a .zip or .scs file (or even a .7zip or .rar file but extraction is recommended from those folders and then take out the .scs or .zip files. After that, you will need to find your Mods folder on your PC. Most PC's by standard would be in this manner: Go to "C:\Users\<your_username>\Documents\American Truck Simulator\mod". Throw the mod in that folder and then activate in mod manager. Some mods may need to be placed with other mods in a certain order. Check with each mod maker to find out how to properly do this.