Real Trucking Economy – Build Your Empire (ATS)
A roleplay career economy. Start broke, earn your standing, manage real cashflow, build a fleet.
One mod, seven tuned game files. Everything not listed below stays vanilla. The American Truck Simulator edition of the ETS2 mod.
At a glance

Freight pays ~30% less – every job mattersLevelling ~2.5x slower – your level is earnedUsed trucks are a real gamble – high mileage, hidden wearTrucks wear as you drive – cabin, chassis and trailer includedDrivers on a flat hourly wage – no mileage or job bonusesRunning a fleet costs real money – drivers only profit on decent cargoLoans and a garage mortgage instead of payday credit
1. Freight & cashflow – thinner, realistic margins

Freight pays ~30% less than vanilla.Cargo damage: $15 per 1%. Abandoning a job: $5,000.Tows and emergency refuels are expensive setbacks.Fines 30% below vanilla – detection unchanged.
2. Career progression – levelling slowed ~2.5x

Level 5 = ~8,500 XP, level 8 = ~19,750, level 11 = ~35,500.
3. Used truck market – a real gamble

25,000 – 250,000 miles on the clock, with 5-55% hidden wear on engine, transmission, chassis and tires.Buy cheap and budget for the shop – or save for new.
4. Finance, not payday loans

Loans: $50k / $100k / $200k at 6-8% over 3-5 years.Garage mortgage: $180,000 at 5% over 10 years – the last tile, the cheap long-term one.
5. Wear & upkeep – trucks are wearing assets

Continuous per-mile wear on cabin, chassis and trailer body/chassis (vanilla: none). Tires wear at the normal rate.Restoring permanent wear: $5,000 truck / $2,500 trailer overhead on top of parts.
6. Driver wages – like real life, and nothing else

Hired drivers earn a flat hourly wage (~$25/hr) plus night-out money (~$25 per day away).No mileage bonus, no job bonus, no per-delivery payment.Recruitment agency fee: $500 per hire.
7. Running a fleet – hired trucks cost real money

Your drivers’ diesel and upkeep run at real fleet rates.A driver only turns a profit on decent cargo; cheap loads lose money. Grow their skills and they run cheaper.Hiring is no longer a money printer – it’s a business you have to manage.
Install notes

Place at HIGH priority, above any other economy mod.Not compatible with other economy overhauls – they change the same files, and whichever is higher wins entirely.Safe on existing saves. Fully reversible by unsubscribing.
Made by Weekend Trucker – youtube.com/@weekendtrucker

Credits:
Weekend Trucker

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