Euro Truck Simulator 2 Pro Tips: 15 Tricks Only Veterans Know
Key Takeaways
- Hired drivers' income scales with their Long Distance skill, not their rating. A 0.8-rated driver with Long Distance 5 earns more than a 5.0-rated driver with Long Distance 1.
- The secret to maximum profit per minute: Medical Vaccines (highest €/km cargo) between cities with exactly one ferry connection. Ferry time is free money — your driver is still 'working' during the crossing.
- Garage placement is the most important long-term decision. Buy garages in cities with 5+ companies within 50km before buying garages in cool locations.
- Disable 'Sleep Simulator' in gameplay settings. By default, you need to sleep every ~9 hours (real-time). Turning it off lets you drive indefinitely.
Money Optimization
1. The Medical Vaccine Route
Medical Vaccines pay €40-60/km — the highest €/km in the game. Best routes:
| Route | Distance | Pay (approx) | Time |
| ------- | ---------- | ------------- | ------ |
| Rotterdam → Oslo | 1,200km | €60,000 | 1.5 hours |
| Milan → Helsinki | 2,400km | €120,000 | 3 hours |
| Luxembourg → Stockholm | 1,600km | €80,000 | 2 hours |
2. Ferry Route Exploitation
Ferry crossings take ~30 seconds (game time passes, real-time skips). But your hired drivers also benefit from ferry routes — they earn money DURING the crossing. Place garages in port cities (Rotterdam, Oslo, Helsinki, Hull) to maximize ferry-based income.
3. The 3-Garage Snowball
Garage income snowballs:
1. Buy Garage #1 (Luxembourg, €180,000). Hire 3 drivers. Buy them base trucks (€95K each).
2. Garage #1 profits fund Garage #2 (Berlin, €180,000). Hire 3 more drivers.
3. Garage #2 profits fund Garage #3 (Rotterdam, €180,000).
4. By Garage #5, you're earning €50,000+ per day passively. You never need to drive again.
4. Used Truck Market Timing
The used truck market refreshes every 3 in-game days. Check it regularly. Dealers occasionally list barely-used trucks at 40% MSRP. A Volvo FH16 with 20,000km for €65,000 is a steal — buy it immediately.
Driving Efficiency
5. The 80 km/h Sweet Spot
Fuel consumption graph (Volvo FH16):
| Speed | L/100km | €/100km (fuel) | Time vs 80 km/h |
| ------- | --------- | --------------- | ----------------- |
| 70 km/h | 28L | €42 | +14% slower |
| 80 km/h | 32L | €48 | Baseline |
| 85 km/h | 38L | €57 | +6% faster, +19% cost |
| 90 km/h | 46L | €69 | +12% faster, +44% cost |
80 km/h is the efficiency sweet spot. Going faster burns fuel exponentially while saving only seconds.
6. Engine Brake + Retarder Combo
Assign engine brake and retarder to easily reachable keys. Using them together on downhill slopes prevents brake wear AND maintains speed without fuel consumption. On the Alps routes, this saves €500+ in brake repairs per 10,000km.
7. The 'Rolling Start'
From a complete stop, release brake and let the truck roll naturally for 1-2 seconds before accelerating. This prevents wheel spin and saves ~2% fuel per start. Over a 1,000km trip with city driving, that's 20-30km worth of fuel saved.
Hired Driver Management
8. Driver Training Priority
Train all hired drivers in this order:
1. Long Distance to 5 (unlocks all routes)
2. High Value Cargo to 2 (better cargo)
3. Just-In-Time to 2 (bonus earnings)
4. Fragile Cargo to 2
5. Long Distance to 6 (max)
Drivers generate income based on longest available route × cargo value. Long Distance is overwhelmingly the most important skill.
9. The 'Balanced' Training Policy
The default 'Balanced' training policy is inefficient. Set it to 'Long Distance' until the driver hits level 5 in that skill. Then switch to 'High Value Cargo.' Manual training = 30% more driver income.
10. Driver Truck Matching
Don't give new drivers expensive trucks. A base truck (€95K) earns the same as a fully upgraded truck (€250K) in AI hands. The driver's skill determines income, not their truck's specs.
Map & Route Tricks
11. Undiscovered Road Bonus
Driving on roads you haven't discovered gives a hidden 5% XP bonus. On long routes, route through unexplored cities even if it adds 20-50km. The XP gain outweighs the slight time loss.
12. Toll Booth Skip
In France and Italy, toll booths can be bypassed using Telepass (auto-pay). Buy a Telepass device at any service station (€200). It saves 10-15 seconds per toll booth. On a France→Italy route, that's 3-5 minutes saved.
13. The 'Scout Car' Trick
Buy a cheap car (€30,000 from the used market) and drive it to scout garage locations and discover cities WITHOUT trailer time pressure. Discovered cities stay discovered on your main profile.
Advanced Settings
14. Brake Intensity
Settings → Gameplay → Brake Intensity: set to ~40%. Default 100% makes brakes too aggressive. At 40%, braking is smoother and more realistic, and you'll get fewer 'abrupt braking' fines.
15. Trailer Stability
Settings → Gameplay → Trailer Stability: set to minimum (left). Higher stability makes trailers feel rigid and unrealistic. Minimum stability rewards smooth driving and punishes sudden steering — it's harder but more rewarding.