American Truck Simulator hit Steam with a bang last week. With so many people willingly paying to drive a semi around the packed, or desolate, roads of the southwest, there must be something to it.
We decided to find out first hand and take American Truck Simulator for a first look. With the truck driving novice hands of John at the wheel, and the Euro Truck veteran Darin behind the camera, it made for a whole lot of shenanigans on one of the career’s early loads from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in the Peterbuilt 579.
Spoiler, driving a semi isn’t as easy as it looks.
Helping to capture the authentic feel of driving a big rig was the SimXperience AccuForce Pro, paired with the “just right sized” Fanatec old school rim. BenQ 27″ triple monitors help keep surrounding traffic in view (learned about triple monitor support after we filmed, thanks YouTube commenters!), along with the nice touch pad of the Logitech K830 keyboard we just received. Lastly, taking on the tough challenge of not only 18 gears but John’s hard shifts was the Thrustmaster TH8A shifter.
Watch to find out if all this gear can save John from his terrible parking!
Spoiler II, not really…
“32 wheels are better than 18.” Must be some of that new common core math.
I use to be an aerospace engineer too! Think twice before you step on a 787 or A350…
Watching John trying to park the 1st time had me yelling at my monitor. “Move over!! Let me drive!” lol. It was kind of painful to watch.
Not only do I hold a CDL, I also have over 300 completed deliveries in ETS2 across 2 profiles(one profile uses the ProMods map). It’s actually easier to park the real thing.