Today, we’re excited to give you a closer look at one of the key cities featured in our upcoming Illinois DLC for American Truck Simulator. Situated on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, Moline is a destination where industry, history, and scenic beauty all come together. Let's see what's happening in Moline!
Founded in the mid-1800s, Moline grew quickly thanks to its location along the river, which provided both transport and power for early manufacturing. Over time, the city became an important part of the Quad Cities region. Today, it remains a vibrant community that blends its history with the modern role it plays in the Midwest.
As some may know, Moline is home to one of the world’s largest agricultural machinery production facilities, which has been central to the city’s growth. In-game, this is represented by the harvester works depot, a major hub where players can pick up and deliver jobs tied to agricultural equipment. The company’s presence has shaped the region with multiple factories and facilities, making this landmark an essential part of the city’s economy and our in-game representation.
Moline also features a number of landmarks and points of interest that add to its character. One of these is Bridge Point 485, originally constructed as a testing facility for the Montgomery Elevator Company. Its distinctive tower was once used for high-speed elevator trials, which still stands as a recognizable feature on the city’s riverfront.
Drivers will also be able to spot the Western Illinois University Quad Cities campus, which occupies a former tech center located right along a small road which runs parallel to the Mississippi River unsurprisingly called River Drive.
Speaking of rivers, we’ve also included a stretch of the Great River Road, an officially designated All-American Road recognized for its cultural and scenic significance. Bringing this route into the game allowed us to highlight a nationally important roadway that carries one-of-a-kind features and history along the Mississippi River.
From a cultural and historical perspective, you’ll also find two notable churches included in our recreation of Moline. One of these, a former Scottish Rite Cathedral, has since been converted into a local theater, reflecting the city’s evolving identity and community use of its historic architecture.
Bringing Moline into the game "was like an interesting puzzle." Quinten, one of our Map Designers tells us. With Davenport, Iowa right across the river, we needed to carefully scale and adapt the city so the two would feel connected yet distinct. The focus was on what makes Moline special, its industrial heritage, riverfront character, and recognizable landmarks, without causing conflict or overwhelming the area.
We hope you enjoyed this look into Moline and what you can expect to see on your future visits to the Prairie State. If you like what you see, don’t forget to add Illinois to your Steam Wishlist. Until next time, keep on truckin’!
We have great news for all European truckers. The 1.56 Update for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is officially here! Let’s take a look at what’s waiting for you on the roads of Europe.
Before we take you through all the new features this update brings to the game, we would like to thank everyone who took part in the Open Beta and reported issues on our forum. This really helped us fine-tune the update and make it ready for the full update release.
Height Blend
The Height Blend effect is a technique used to create more realistic and visually appealing transitions between different types of terrains or surfaces, like grass, dirt, or stone. It works by utilizing a height map texture, a grayscale image that represents the elevation of a surface, to determine how different textures blend together.
For example, where a grassy hill slopes into a rocky cliff, the height blend effect ensures the textures mix naturally based on the terrain's height and slope, avoiding harsh or unnatural edges. For map designers, it eliminates the need for many decals, which previously had to be added to achieve a believable look, saving time and effort.
Under the hood, our team has converted, tweaked, and visually checked over 1,300 materials from our library to ensure seamless integration. During our testing, we didn't observe any significant impact on performance. There is only a minimal increase in memory usage, caused by the newly added texture.
HS-Schoch Tuning Pack DLC Update
With this update, the HS-Schoch Tuning Pack is also receiving a substantial refresh and expansion! Our teams have been working diligently to update this popular DLC, adding new features and addressing many of the community’s requests. Let’s take a closer look at what is coming your way!
Accessory finishes:
Chrome
Paintable (can now be customised in any colour of your choice)
Matte paintable (also fully colour-selectable)
Grilles and Light Bars:
Roof bars will have new LED and non-LED versions
Front light bars will now feature LED, non-LED, and even strobe versions
Bottom grilles will also be updated, with slot-based options as well as an LED version
We are also bringing you two brand-new paint jobs. All of these new additions will give you more freedom to match (or otherwise) the tuning parts with your truck’s paint scheme and overall look!
Since the release of the HS-Schoch Pack, several new trucks have been added to ETS2. With this update, we’ve made sure to include bars for all the vehicles that were not part of the game at the time of the DLC’s original launch. We’re also excited to announce that big auxiliary lights will be receiving improvements, and this will be available to everyone as part of the base game update.
We truly appreciate your passion for customisation, and we’re happy to bring these improvements into the game. We can't wait to see how you tune up your truck with the HS-Schoch Pack! Read the full dedicated blog about the update here.
Special Transport DLC Update - CZ LOKO
Exciting news! With the upcoming 1.56 update, we will introduce new cargoes from the company CZ LOKO, a renowned manufacturer of locomotives, both to the Euro Truck Simulator 2 base game and also as part of the Special Transport DLC, allowing players to haul one of the heaviest cargoes we’ve ever introduced into the game.
In the base game, we will be adding the MUV 75 and EffiShunter 300 locomotives. While these aren't the largest or heaviest machines you'll encounter, don't underestimate them - make sure your truck is well-prepared to handle the load. The MUV 75 tips the scales at over 14 tonnes, while the EffiShunter 300 weighs in at a hefty 36 tonnes.
Our Special Transport DLC roster is expanding with a true heavyweight, the EffiShunter 1000, a massive locomotive built by CZ LOKO. Truckers will haul this behemoth on a lowbed trailer. Just how big is it? The total height (including the trailer) reaches an impressive 5.3 metres, with a length of 16 metres and a width of 3.1 metres. Navigating corners with the EffiShunter 1000 in tow will demand precision and nerves of steel.
Your truck will need a powerful engine for this job - the locomotive alone weighs 80 tonnes, plus another 10 tonnes for the trailer. That's 90 tonnes of pure challenge rolling behind you.
You'll be able to deliver the EffiShunter 1000 along three routes: Berlin to Szczecin, Kassel to Hamburg, and Bremen to Travemünde. Each journey will be escorted by two escort vehicles to help ensure a safe trip from departure to delivery. Still, it's up to you to avoid any mishaps - and to keep this stunning locomotive free from so much as a scratch.
Want to read more about CZ LOKO in Euro Truck Simulator 2? Take a read of our dedicated blog here.
Schmitz Cargobull Trailer Pack DLC Update
We are pleased to reveal an exciting addition to the Schmitz Cargobull Trailer Pack for Euro Truck Simulator 2. Our collaboration with Schmitz Cargobull continues to grow, and this update introduces new trailer types and features that expand your hauling experience.
The highlight of this update is the Schmitz S.CS High Capacity Transport (HCT) configuration. This features two trailers connected with a dolly. Schmitz Cargobull now becomes the second brand in Euro Truck Simulator 2 to feature a 32m HCT trailer setup.
Also arriving in this update is the Schmitz S.KO City chassis, equipped with a steering axle, which provides greater manoeuvrability in tighter spaces. While this feature is primarily aimed at navigating urban environments, in Euro Truck Simulator 2, you are free to take it anywhere you like.
In addition to these trailer configurations, we’re also introducing new lighting options across Schmitz Cargobull S.CS, S.KO, S.BO, and S.KI trailers. These lights proudly display the Schmitz Cargobull logo, adding an extra layer of authenticity to your setup.
Read more about this update at our dedicated blogpost here.
Camera Zoom - Hold/Toggle
The 1.56 update also brings a small but welcomed accessibility feature. Players can now choose whether the interior zoom function requires holding the key (the default) or can be switched to a toggle mode. This option not only adds convenience but also improves accessibility, offering a more comfortable way for all players to take a closer look at the details inside their cab, in the mirrors, and around their truck. Players can find this feature in "Options → Gameplay and Options → Accessibility".
DLC Browser
We are also introducing a brand-new design for the DLC Browser. This redesign aims to make browsing and discovering additional content for your game easier and more enjoyable.
The updated browser now features improved categorization, with clear sections such as Featured, Bundles, Map, Cargo, Trailer, Accessories, and Paint Jobs. The main layout has been completely redesigned, increasing the number of items displayed per row from three to four for a cleaner and more modern look.
The DLC browser is just the beginning of a feature with the potential to grow and evolve further. While it may take time and further development to see how far it can go, the vision is to make it possible for players to explore and enjoy all our DLCs without ever leaving the game. We plan to continue gathering feedback, and this feature might get some future adjustments.
Career Creation and Start-up Flow
We gave the career system a big refresh, which includes a new UI design and improved navigation. The old table-style list of careers has been replaced with larger, card-like slots that give a cleaner and more modern look. Your active career will always appear at the top, with your other careers sorted by most recent playtime. The first slot is reserved for starting a brand-new career, and switching between your careers is now quicker; simply double-click on a card to jump right in.
Whether you're a new player or a seasoned veteran, the career creation process has also been redesigned to be simpler and clearer, focusing only on the most important options and selections needed when starting a new career.
A new Truck Preference screen has also been added between selecting your headquarters and the opening cutscene. Here, you can preview all available trucks in a rotating 3D view that spins automatically, or you can rotate them yourself. You'll be able to cycle through brands, switch between different models, or even press a “random” button to let the game surprise you. We hope this new preference screen gives both new and experienced players a detailed look at each truck and its key specifications.
We've also refreshed the Edit Career screen, which now focuses only on details that really matter for your career. Many of the older fields have been moved elsewhere, keeping the editing process simple and uncluttered. To make things more convenient, clicking on your career from the desktop top bar now opens a new Driver Details screen, where you can view all the important info about your career and even change your avatar without having to return to the title screen.
This redesigned approach not only makes career navigation smoother but also gives the whole experience a cleaner, more modern feel. Whether you're starting your very first trucking journey or managing multiple careers, we hope this update makes your career management more streamlined and accessible. As we gather more input, this feature could see further improvements down the road.
Management UI/UX Improvements
In the Company tab on the Desktop, the Driver, Trailer, Truck, and Garage Manager screens now feature a redesigned company subscreen. The refreshed company subscreen shows the company name and logo alongside key statistics, a redesigned seven-day profit graph, and highlights of the most profitable assets. It also introduces an economy summary pop-up for quick performance review and a company properties option for editing the name and logo.
We've also added a quality-of-life improvement to the relocation screen: when both a driver and their truck can be placed in the same garage slot, a checkbox allows relocating them together in one step. To improve accessibility, the Garage Manager and Driver Manager are now unlocked from the very start of the game, rather than only after purchasing a truck.
Finally, the Driver Manager subscreen has been polished with a clearer layout, including a new XP bar that lets players track their NPC drivers' progress, and a simplified job information and skills overview, where you can assign a collective preferred training policy for newly hired drivers. Our plan is to keep gathering feedback, so in the future, this feature might be further refined.
This past Sunday marked the conclusion of the #CruisingIowa World of Trucks event, which ran for over two months in celebration of the Iowa DLC release for American Truck Simulator. Today, it’s time to take a look back and share the final results with you all!
First and foremost, we’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone in our #BestCommunityEver who joined in #CruisingIowa, as well as to the dedicated team who helped bring this event to life. The passion, support, and enthusiasm from our community always make these events truly special.
At the beginning, we set two goals for you. The community objective was to collectively drive 125,000,000 miles (201,168,000 km) by hauling cargo to or from any city in the Hawkeye State. Thanks to your incredible efforts, this milestone was already reached by the end of August, well before the conclusion of the event! And by the end, together you logged an impressive 138,480,798 miles (222,863,241 km).
The personal goal challenged players to deliver cargo to or from 12 different cities across Iowa, with each qualifying delivery covering at least 100 miles (161 km). In total, you completed 433,189 deliveries, with 27,962 dedicated truckers successfully achieving their personal goal. Congratulations to everyone who unlocked the special rewards: the Golden Flight ATS paint job and the Porcelain Wild Rose hanging ornament Steam inventory item!
Even if you didn’t manage to complete the event, we hope you enjoyed exploring Iowa and being part of the journey. As always, it’s not just about the destination, it’s about the roads traveled and the experiences shared along the way.
We have good news for all American truckers. The 1.56 Update for American Truck Simulator is officially released! Let's see what's in store for you.
Before we take you through all the new features this update brings to the game, we would like to thank everyone who took part in the Open Beta and reported issues on our forum. This really helped us fine-tune the update and make it ready for the full update release.
Height Blend
The Height Blend effect is a technique used to create more realistic and visually appealing transitions between different types of terrains or surfaces, like grass, dirt, or stone. It works by utilizing a height map texture, a grayscale image that represents the elevation of a surface, to determine how different textures blend together.
For example, where a grassy hill slopes into a rocky cliff, the height blend effect ensures the textures mix naturally based on the terrain's height and slope, avoiding harsh or unnatural edges. For map designers, it eliminates the need for many decals, which previously had to be added to achieve a believable look, saving time and effort.
Under the hood, our team has converted, tweaked, and visually checked over 1,300 materials from our library to ensure seamless integration. During our testing, we didn't observe any significant impact on performance. There is only a minimal increase in memory usage, caused by the newly added texture.
Dynamic Cargo Improvements
We have expanded the dynamic loading and unloading feature to cover more cargo types. Truckers using their own logger or chipvan trailers can now see a material handler dynamically managing their loads at selected depots across the USA. The logger's cargoes - large tubes, logs, and utility poles - as well as the chipvan's metal scrap, are now included in this feature to make your trucking experience more immersive.
Camera Zoom - Hold/Toggle
The 1.56 update also brings a small but welcomed accessibility feature. Players can now choose whether the interior zoom function requires holding the key (the default) or can be switched to a toggle mode. This option not only adds convenience but also improves accessibility, offering a more comfortable way for all players to take a closer look at the details inside their cab, in the mirrors, and around their truck. Players can find this feature in "Options → Gameplay and Options → Accessibility".
DLC Browser
We are also introducing a brand-new design for the DLC Browser. This redesign aims to make browsing and discovering additional content for your game easier and more enjoyable.
The updated browser now features improved categorization, with clear sections such as Featured, Bundles, Map, Cargo, Trailer, Accessories, and Paint Jobs. The main layout has been completely redesigned, increasing the number of items displayed per row from three to four for a cleaner and more modern look.
The DLC browser is just the beginning of a feature with the potential to grow and evolve further. While it may take time and further development to see how far it can go, the vision is to make it possible for players to explore and enjoy all our DLCs without ever leaving the game. We plan to continue gathering feedback, and this feature might get some future adjustments.
Career Creation and Start-up Flow
We gave the career system a big refresh, which includes a new UI design and improved navigation. The old table-style list of careers has been replaced with larger, card-like slots that give a cleaner and more modern look. Your active career will always appear at the top, with your other careers sorted by most recent playtime. The first slot is reserved for starting a brand-new career, and switching between your careers is now quicker; simply double-click on a card to jump right in.
Whether you're a new player or a seasoned veteran, the career creation process has also been redesigned to be simpler and clearer, focusing only on the most important options and selections needed when starting a new career.
A new Truck Preference screen has also been added between selecting your headquarters and the opening cutscene. Here, you can preview all available trucks in a rotating 3D view that spins automatically, or you can rotate them yourself. You'll be able to cycle through brands, switch between different models, or even press a “random” button to let the game surprise you. We hope this new preference screen gives both new and experienced players a detailed look at each truck and its key specifications.
We've also refreshed the Edit Career screen, which now focuses only on details that really matter for your career. Many of the older fields have been moved elsewhere, keeping the editing process simple and uncluttered. To make things more convenient, clicking on your career from the desktop top bar now opens a new Driver Details screen, where you can view all the important info about your career and even change your avatar without having to return to the title screen.
This redesigned approach not only makes career navigation smoother but also gives the whole experience a cleaner, more modern feel. Whether you're starting your very first trucking journey or managing multiple careers, we hope this update makes your career management more streamlined and accessible. As we gather more input, this feature could see further improvements down the road.
Management UI/UX Improvements
In the Company tab on the Desktop, the Driver, Trailer, Truck, and Garage Manager screens now feature a redesigned company subscreen. The refreshed company subscreen shows the company name and logo alongside key statistics, a redesigned seven-day profit graph, and highlights of the most profitable assets. It also introduces an economy summary pop-up for quick performance review and a company properties option for editing the name and logo.
We've also added a quality-of-life improvement to the relocation screen: when both a driver and their truck can be placed in the same garage slot, a checkbox allows relocating them together in one step. To improve accessibility, the Garage Manager and Driver Manager are now unlocked from the very start of the game, rather than only after purchasing a truck.
Finally, the Driver Manager subscreen has been polished with a clearer layout, including a new XP bar that lets players track their NPC drivers' progress, and a simplified job information and skills overview, where you can assign a collective preferred training policy for newly hired drivers. Our plan is to keep gathering feedback, so in the future, this feature might be further refined.
Changelog
Gameplay
Dynamic cargo improvements
Camera zoom - hold/toggle
Visual
Height blend
UI
Career creation – redesigned UI/UX and start-up flow
