SCS Logic

[rookie31st]

The reason there is the ten hours of downtime is due to SCS probably trying to represent the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's required 10-hour off-duty period.

But they chose not to care about the 60/70 hour rule (driver may not drive after 60/70 hours on duty in 7/8 consecutive days). With existing 14-hour shifts in the game, players reach 70 hours in 5 days, and must then rest for 34 hours.

[Some newbie driver]

The 10 hour downtime is the game is for us to have to plan the route, to have to take care of something more than just to follow GPS instructions. Plain and simple.

They don't pretend to reach anything similar to IRL driving time limitations. AFAIK, European rules are still more restrictive than those in ATS and we have got since the beginning (if the memory doesn't fail me again) the 11/9 hours cycle that has nothing to do with real world trucking in Europe.

[bobgrey1997]

This would be a nice feature for future updates, looking into the sleeper area of a OTR truck and being able to rest when parked. Or have a specifically mapped button when parked/engine off/parking brake set.

I'd also say setting a rest time frame would be good too. Truckers don't sleep 9+ hours a go.

"Rest" does not mean "sleep", it means "not working".

The 10 hour downtime is the game is for us to have to plan the route, to have to take care of something more than just to follow GPS instructions. Plain and simple.

They don't pretend to reach anything similar to IRL driving time limitations. AFAIK, European rules are still more restrictive than those in ATS and we have got since the beginning (if the memory doesn't fail me again) the 11/9 hours cycle that has nothing to do with real world trucking in Europe.

Why do European rules matter? Last I checked, the A in ATS is for American, not European.
In the US, a day for a driver is split into 14 hours on-duty and 10 hours off-duty.
The only incorrect aspect in game is that we can spend all of those 14 hours driving, while in reality, a driver can only drive for 11 hours in a day.

[xXCARL1992Xx]

because he compared it to ETS2 where the rules for truck drivers are more stricter in real life but ingame are more unrealistic as in ATS

[Some newbie driver]

Why do European rules matter? Last I checked, the A in ATS is for American, not European.

As xXCARL1992Xx said, I used it as a more clear example about what SCS pretends with those timings.

The only incorrect aspect in game is that we can spend all of those 14 hours driving, while in reality, a driver can only drive for 11 hours in a day.

And the 30min stop, the weekly limit, the need to stop where there's a motel (or equivalent) if one is driving a daycab because at minimum a berth is required. And probably others that I miss because I just searched them while you had to know it because it's your living. I don't know if there could be additional state laws regarding that (as example, some countries in EU force the weekly long rest mandatory by general driving EU rules must to be done NOT in the cabin berth).

All those regulations added are complex for anybody who don't have a freaking idea about them and just want to play the game. And either you put them all in sake of realism or you put none of them. So, SCS just included the tired consequences and the rest timer to give us game play mechanic, to give a bit more sense to all those rest stops and rest places they put everywhere. Of course they had set the driving and resting times somewhat near of something that could be logical, so close enough to some IRL scenarios; but that's all. It's not because they are wanting to emulate IRL laws because players would end complaining they spent more time looking for stops and sleeping that driving. IRL that has sense, in the game at its current state, it doesn't.

If they ever consider the so-much-discussed arcade/simulation twin mode; then changes of that kind could arrive to the game. But so far, SCS actions have not shown they want to follow that path.

Regards

[VTXcnME]

@bobgrey1997

Yup. 100%. When it says get some rest, I always assume sleep. You're obviously right, there's more that happens than just sleeping.

[rookie31st]

Why do European rules matter?

The perfect example that SCS Software doesn't care about implementing proper regulations since at least 2012
Nothing has changed in 9 years despite countless discussions. But we got plush toys in the cabins!

[bobgrey1997]

This discussion happened in another thread as well, to which I eventually responded:

I do hope to see much more detail in hours of service, truck stops, and vehicle maintenance. I don't think we will ever see any of it, though. SCS is too focused on maps, cargo, paint, and World of Trucks events, aiming at a casual arcade playerbase rather than hardcore simulator players.

I recently was shown an old Twitter post where my current employer reached out to SCS. This resulted in all kinds of wild speculation, but having not heard anything since seems a bit worrying to me. Anyway, if this has anything to do with implementing branded names for carriers instead of just trucks and cargo, then I hope to see a more accurate representation of the lifestyle itself. Some companies use in-house simulators to train new drivers. Swift does not have such a simulator. I personally hope this Twitter message is regarding using ATS for that purpose. If so, ATS will need many realism improvements, especially regarding hours of service and physics. While it currently does amazing for backing (it is where I originally learned how to back such large vehicles, and was the only one during my training in a class of nearly 200 to be able to handle all of the maneuvers they threw at us on day 1), it is not accurate to anything beyond that.

[rookie31st]

Indeed, I would be very interested to know what collaboration ideas Swift Transportation had in mind, and if they came to agreement with SCS Software.

[Rbnqss78]

I have been thinking the same because was it Haulin' or PTTM but in earöy games it was possible to sleep everywhere, that was if you had sleeper truck, and day and you had to find motel. That should be brought back because I love oversized loads and I know for a fact that oversize load carriers has to stop yo test on off or onramps or some other spots that are big enough to make an stop.