Trukz Guide for New Drivers

[Elbonian]

Getting Ahead in Trukz

Trukz is a game with very easy controls and choices. Still, there are many ways to play Trukz incorrectly, and comparatively few ways to succeed. The purpose of this guideline is to give you the knowledge you need to maximize your game-playing strategy and avoid the traps that will lose you money and driver rating points.

Getting Started

After you create your driver, the first thing you’ll be asked to do is purchase a truck. You’ll start out with $5000, which you should use to buy the most expensive truck available (the 1994 Freightliner FLB in Europe, or the 1979 Ford in North America). The game will also ask you to select a hometown city. If you haven’t done so already, look up the company preferred route (explained below) and pick one of the two cities on that route as your hometown city.

Running Routes

After every cargo demand shift, the brightest minds the company has to offer will calculate the most profitable route in the game and advise the rest of us, both on the company bulletin board and on these forums. After you have your truck, find the closest of the cities on the company preferred route and make your way there. Here’s the most effective way to run routes:
• Start a route and select a destination city (the closest city in the preferred route if you’re not currently running it and the next city in the preferred route if you are).
• Select a cargo weight of 40,000 lbs (or whatever your maximum legal weight is). Do not select any of the options in red.
• Go to the route dashboard and enter a speed 5 mph over the speed limit (or your truck’s maximum speed if you can’t go that fast. Sadly your starter truck probably won’t even be able to do the speed limit). Do not go more than 5 mph over. Do not go more than 5mph over the top weather speed. It isn't worth the risk. Trust me.
• Drive until you have 11 fatigue points. DO NOT CONTINUE DRIVING IF YOU HAVE 11 OR MORE FATIGUE POINTS.
• Refuel if your fuel cost is $1.85 or $1.95 AND your fuel tank is less than 40% full. If you get below 10% and you can’t find any cheap fuel, bite the bullet and refuel 100%. EXCEPTION: if you’re on your way into a company terminal, be sure to refuel only sufficient to get to the terminal if the fuel price is equal to or greater then $2.50 per gallon. There is no FP penalty when refueling at a terminal, and cities have a fixed fuel price of $2.50 per gallon
• If at all possible, get online within the next 11 hours after you stop driving. You won’t lose any additional fatigue points after you hit zero fatigue. If you know you won’t be able to get on again that quickly, you might want to repair or refuel your truck once you hit 11 fatigue (both these actions cost you one fatigue point while in mid-route).
• If one of the endpoints of your route is a terminal or your hometown city, you can repair and refuel there without any fatigue penalty. Definitely repair every time you reach one of these points, and consider buying fuel there (although you should keep in mind that the fuel cost in cities is $2.50 per gallon).
• When you’ve outgrown your PoS starter rig, or you’re on a high paying route, use quick rests if at all possible (keep at least $100 on hand at all times for this purpose). It instantly regains you 2 fatigue points and allows you to finish your route more quickly. Always do some quick mental math to figure out whether or not this is profitable to do. If your top speed is 45 miles per hour, and you’re getting $0.55 per mile, there is no way that the quick rest pays for itself. If your top speed is much higher, or your ppm is significantly higher, it is worth it. One exception: If you’re close to a terminal, running on a tight schedule, and may face a late penalty of over $100, it is always worth it. Anytime those two legs are worth more then $100 to you, this is saving you money and/or improving your income.

Purchasing Trucks

One of the first orders of business after you’ve gotten started is going to be upgrading your truck. The piece of crap you’ve started with has a grandmotherly like top speed (aka very slow) and horrible fuel economy, and it is prone to frequent breakdowns. I suggest you try to upgrade to the 1996 International 8200. This truck costs $9,950, has a top speed of 68 mph and comes in 90% condition. This easily makes it the best truck at its price point. IF you can get on some high paying contract routes soon, however, I’d suggest you hang onto that rig to get yourself a 97 Kenworth w900, That rig costs 11,700 (with our present company-wide discount), has a top speed of 73mph and is at 93% condition. This rig (The w900) should last you long enough to get well into the $30,000+ rigs.

Now, after the undoubtedly slow start you’ve gotten off to (and who can blame you given the fact your starter truck sucked?), you may be wondering how the hell you’re ever going to get any money. Well, there are a couple strategies you can use to get that truck within reach:
• Take out $1000 loans for 3 consecutive days immediately prior to the date you purchase your truck (you will need to estimate your daily income and time this). Pay them back reasonably quickly after you buy the truck. Why not immediately? Some items may be badly needed for your new truck, such as fresh tires and aluminum wheels. A select few items are worth any additional interest expenses encurred.
• Repair your truck immediately before selling it or any of its items. You get the maximum price possible if you repair it.
• Before you sell your old truck, go to the item purchase screen and sell off any items you may have bought individually. (You get just slightly more money doing this. It could make all the difference later on). Some Utopians have also now noticed you can buy an item like tires, repair your truck, sell the tires before you sell your truck, and make a couple more bucks on the price of the truck (Make sure you sale your items before your truck though). A formula may be provided later in this post to calculate whether or not this is profitable for you.
• Don’t bother refueling before you sell. You don’t get any extra cash for selling with a full tank of gas. No need throwing money away.
After you get that crucial second truck, you should be good for awhile. Concentrate on buying the tires and aluminum wheels. After that the fuel economy upgrades as you can afford them (air filter, fuel filter, and fuel injectors).
• The next truck really worth upgrading to is the 2001 Volvo VN660. It outclasses many trucks that cost more than it in top speed, it comes in 93% condition, and it has above-average fuel economy (comparable to others at its price point). A high quality alternate is the 2000 Peterbilt 379, this rig with fresh tires outclasses the Volvo VN660 however it will start to show its wear and tear a little faster then the Volvo. After you’ve made some money and gotten a double-trailer license, consider this for your next big buy (the triple-trailer and oversized load endorsements being the other major items).

Items

There are a total of 24 items available for purchase in-game. They last for varying lengths of time and give bonuses in various areas for your truck. You will have to sell some of them when you get rid of your truck, and some stay with your driver. Here’s a comprehensive list of items: The first price is the original cost, the second (in parenthesis) is the discounted price, thanks to our wonderful company-wide items discount.

CB Radio - $300.00 ($270.00) - Enables CB Radio chat in-game. Reduced chances of speeding and cargo overweight tickets -10%. Good for 1 year. Item stays with driver.
This item may be considered by some frivolous or wasteful, however, Utopia shines in its communal spirit on our CB channel (Channel 80), as well as some quick Q&A or advice can be rather easily acquired by popping onto the CB instead of waiting for a forum post or private message. Do keep in mind, the CB can be fairly addictive, time consuming, and distracting.
GPS Navigation – $500.00 ($450.00) - Enables maps on the route dashboard for the majority of the cities in the game. May slow down page load on slower computers and connections. Good for one year. Item stays with driver.
Purely for show, however. If you want it, and have the money to spare, go for it. It probably is a significant blow to your cash reserves on your starter truck, however past there it is likely easily affordable.

New Air Filter - $500.00 ($450.00) - Increases fuel economy +5%. Good for 1 month. Item sells with truck.
Probably not a good idea to get these fuel economy upgrades for your first truck (just concentrate your efforts on getting enough cash to ditch that piece of crap), but definitely buy them all once you get a decent truck.
New Fuel Filter - $1,200.00 ($1,080.00) - Increases fuel economy +8%. Good for 2 months. Item sells with truck.
Same as air filter. Not worth it for the first truck, but essential thereafter.
New Fuel Injectors - $2,000.00 ($1,800.00) - Increases fuel economy +10%. Good for 3 months. Item sells with truck.
See above. Additional Note: the three fuel items COMPOUND, providing a total fuel economy boost of 24.74%

New Tires - $3,000.00 ($2,700.00) - Increases maximum truck condition +15%. Reduces chances of bad weather accidents -5%. Increases top speed in bad weather +5%. Good for 2 months. Item sells with truck.
Quite possibly the most overpowered item in the game. Well worth the money on most any rig, as it is both cost effective, has positive effects in bad weather, and increases your trucks top condition (this means it provides direct increases in speed, maximum truck load limit, and fuel economy). Please note that “+15%” does not mean that you get a flat 15% added onto your rig, but your rigs max repair condition is multiplied by 1.15. This means, if your truck is at 85% it will not make your rig jump to 100% flat, but rather 97.75% IF the tires push your rig’s max condition past 100%, the max repair will be 100% and any excess will provide a buffer from the gradual loss of max repair condition.
Tire Chains – $1,200.00 ($1,080.00) - Reduces chances of bad weather accidents -8%. Increases the speed that you can drive in winter weather +5 mph. Good for 2 months. Item stays with driver.
If you’re running in the snowy north, this may be essential. Thusfar (personally) I have been unable to verify the usefulness of this item though it sounds rather powerful as the fog lamps and fresh tires cost nearly 3 times as much and in bad winter weather provide a similar effect on top weather speed.
Fog Lights - $1,500.00 ($1,350.00) - Increases top speed in bad weather +5%. Reduces chances of bad weather accidents -10%. Good for 2 months. Item sells with truck.
If you are running, or think you will be running, a lot of runs in the snowy north, this is very important to have, in most other cases it is handy to have, as any “bad weather” top speed gets boosted by 5%. In most cases, however, this means an improvement of only 2 or 3 miles per hour

Warning Lights – $800.00 ($720.00) - Reduces chances of bad weather accidents -8%. Good for 3 months. Item sells with truck.
You shouldn’t be driving too fast in bad weather anyway, so this isn’t needed.
Turbo Charger - $4,000.00 ($3,600.00) - Increases maximum truck condition +5%. Good for 8 months. Item sells with truck.
Very expensive compared to the benefit. However, all Charger items do have their place. The effect on maximum truck condition does compound. If your rig is worth a decent amount ($25,000 or more most likely), and is losing more max repair condition then you would like, this is a FAR more cost effective solution compared to an overhaul. It saves you 1 to 2 FP as well as has an actual resale value. THESE DO COMPOUND WITH EACH OTHER FOR A NET MULTIPLIER OF 1.52 (all condition boosting items).
Super Charger - $6,500.00 ($5,850) - Increases maximum truck condition +10%. Good for 5½ months. Item sells with truck.
Very expensive compared to the benefit. However, all Charger items do have their place. The effect on maximum truck condition does compound. If your rig is worth a decent amount ($25,000 or more most likely), and is losing more max repair condition then you would like, this is a FAR more cost effective solution compared to an overhaul. It saves you 1 to 2 FP as well as has an actual resale value. THESE DO COMPOUND WITH EACH OTHER FOR A NET MULTIPLIER OF 1.52 (all condition boosting items).


Geometry Charger - $10,000.00 ($9,000) - Increases maximum truck condition +15%. Good for 4 months. Item sells with truck.
Very expensive compared to the benefit. However, all Charger items do have their place. The effect on maximum truck condition does compound. If your rig is worth a decent amount ($25,000 or more most likely), and is losing more max repair condition then you would like, this is a FAR more cost effective solution compared to an overhaul. It saves you 1 to 2 FP as well as has an actual resale value. THESE DO COMPOUND WITH EACH OTHER FOR A NET MULTIPLIER OF 1.52 (all condition boosting items).

Inter Cooler - $5,000.00 - Improves chargers +5%. Good for 4 months. Item sells with truck.
Very expensive compared to the benefit. However, all Charger items do have their place. The effect on maximum truck condition does compound. If your rig is worth a decent amount ($25,000 or more most likely), and is losing more max repair condition then you would like, this is a FAR more cost effective solution compared to an overhaul. It saves you 1 to 2 FP as well as has an actual resale value. THESE DO COMPOUND WITH EACH OTHER FOR A NET MULTIPLIER OF 1.52 (all condition boosting items).

Radar Detector - $800.00 - Reduced chances of speeding tickets -20%. Tickets +10% more expensive. Good for 1 year. Item stays with driver.
Don’t bother with this. You shouldn’t be going more than 5 mph over the speed limit anyway. It’s completely worthless to any of our drivers.

Tool Box - $1,200.00 - Decreases cost of repairs -5%. Good for 1 year. Item stays with driver.
Good, solid item that will save you a lot of money in the (pretty) long run. I wouldn’t worry about picking it up until you’ve got that second truck. Not a high priority, however, it is handy.

Aluminum Wheels - $2,600.00 ($2,340) - Decreases the weight of your truck thereby increasing your maximum legal haul weight +1,000 lbs over the legal limit. Good for 1 year. Item sells with truck.
Buy this for your second truck, and every one thereafter (you can always sell them and get most of the cost back when you upgrade). These are worth it without question. They improve your maximum legal haul weight by 1,000lbs (Why is this important you ask?). This boosts your payout per route by 2.5% But wait, there’s more. This extra 1,000lbs has no negative impact on your fuel economy (it affects the denominator of the MPG calculations), and in fact with the endorsements improves fuel economy by 0.3% per 5,000 additional pounds hauled.
Extra Fuel Tank - $2250 - Increases your trucks top fuel level +50 gallons. Fuel tank sells empty. If item is sold with fuel in tank that fuel will be removed with the fuel tank. Good for 1 year. Item sells with truck.
Cost effective, handy way to extend your trucks range between refuels. Highly recommended, only gets more cost effective and useful as your MPG gets higher.
Low Gear Ratio - $2250 - Increases your trucks load limit +2,000 lbs. (not the legal load limit) Reduces the top speed of your truck -5 MPH. Good for 6 months. Item sells with truck.
Personally have not seen much use for this item, however it may serve some purpose… some time.
High Gear Ratio - $2250 - Decreases your trucks load limit -2,000 lbs. (not the legal load limit) Increases the top speed of your truck +5 MPH. Good for 6 months. Item sells with truck.
This is highly useful for those mid-range rigs when you do not have a double trailer endorsement . On most rigs, the truck load limit sacrifice is unnoticeable, however the additional 5mph can be very noticeable when you start being able to meet or exceed the upper end speed limits. Additional perk, this may mean you can go a little farther before you need to repair because of speed issues.
Frequent Flyer Discount - $675 - Provides a 25% discount on airline tickets across continents. Good for 2 months. Item stays with driver.
Only useful as a way for a little extra savings on a hop across the pond. Advice, IF you’re becoming a Eutopian or a Nutopian (from the opposite) check how expensive a ticket is, if the 25% discount is more then $150 or so, buy it. use it, then sell it again. These hops aren’t likely to be frequent, but any short-term savings can be helpful.

Double Trailer Endorsement - $10,000.00 ($9,000) - Allows you to drive routes with double trailers thereby increasing your maximum legal haul weight +5,000 lbs over the legal limit. It does not stack with other driver endorsements. Good for 1 year. Item stays with driver. Requires 10 driver rating points.
This should be the first item on your list after your second truck (besides tires, aluminum wheels, and possibly a few fuel economy upgrades). It will vastly improve your income. (12.5% by itself)

Triple Trailer Endorsement - $25,000.00 ($22,500.00) - Allows you to drive routes with triple trailers thereby increasing your maximum legal haul weight +10,000 lbs over the legal limit. It does not stack with other driver endorsement. Good for 1 year. Item stays with driver. Requires 25 driver rating points.
Save up for this as soon as you approach 25 DR. Once you get a good truck, the trailer endorsements are really the only big, helpful item left to save for. (25.0% improvement in route revenue).

Oversized Load Endorsement – $50,000.00 ($45,000.00) - Allows you to drive oversized loads thereby increasing your maximum legal haul weight +15,000 lbs over the legal limit. Does not stack with other driver endorsements. Good for 1 year. Item stays with driver. Requires 50 driver rating points.
See above. Start saving well before you hit 50 DR. (37.5% improvement to route revenue).
Lowboy Endorsement – $100,000 ($90,000) - Allows you to drive lowboy loads thereby increasing your maximum legal haul weight +20,000 lbs over the legal limit. Requires a driver rating of 100 or higher. Does not stack with other driver endorsements. Good for 1 year. Item stays with driver. Requires 100 driver rating points.
See above. Considering this requires 100 DR+, you may have some leeway in when you start saving

Stocks

---Have been eliminated from the game for the time being. There is discussion on the game’s forums as to a replacement, however when this will come is unknown---

Written by Estes

Edited by Elbonian

This guideline has been altered from several others I've read throughout several trukz websites. I've taken what I considered the best advice and compiled it in here. Any and all similarities to other guidelines are simply coincidental. If you would like to use this guideline on another site please contact Estes through PM.