1. Why Buying a Garage is Important in ATS
In American Truck Simulator, a garage serves multiple purposes beyond just a place to park your trucks. Here’s why you should focus on purchasing a garage:
- Truck Storage: A garage allows you to own and store multiple trucks, making it easier to manage your fleet.
- Driver Management: Once you have a garage, you can hire other drivers, expand your fleet, and increase your revenue.
- Fast Travel: Owning garages in different locations allows you to fast travel between them, saving time on long trips.
- Expanding Your Business: With a garage, you can turn your one-man operation into a large trucking company, providing more job opportunities and income.
Essentially, buying a garage is the first step toward scaling up your trucking business in ATS.
2. Steps to Buying a Garage in American Truck Simulator
Starting with Your First Garage
When you first start out in American Truck Simulator, you are provided with a small garage located in the city of your choosing. This garage comes free of charge and acts as your base of operations until you’re ready to expand. However, the default small garage only has enough space for one truck, which limits your ability to grow.
If you’re looking to buy a new garage, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Saving Up Money for Expansion
To buy a garage in ATS, you will need to accumulate enough in-game currency. The initial price of a garage is around $180,000, but prices may vary slightly depending on the location. To accumulate this amount, here are some tips:
- Complete Jobs Efficiently: Focus on long-haul deliveries that offer higher payouts. Look for high-paying jobs in the job market, and take advantage of skill points that increase your income, such as Long Distance and High Value Cargo.
- Upgrade Your Truck: Investing in truck upgrades that improve fuel efficiency and cargo capacity will help you complete more jobs and earn more money.
- Avoid Unnecessary Expenses: Keep an eye on maintenance costs and avoid costly damages or penalties that can reduce your income.
Step 2: Accessing the World Map to Purchase
Once you have saved enough money, the next step is to locate and purchase a garage. Here’s how to do it:
- Open the World Map: From the game’s main menu, access the World Map. This will display a map of all the cities available in the game.
- Find a Garage for Sale: On the map, cities with garages for sale will have a small garage icon. Click on a city to see whether a garage is available. You can choose to buy a garage in any of the game’s cities, depending on your strategic needs and preferences.
- Purchase the Garage: Once you’ve chosen a city and selected a garage, you’ll be given the option to purchase it. Click on the purchase button and confirm your decision. Congratulations, you now own your second garage!
3. Upgrading Your Garage: Benefits and Costs
As your trucking business grows, you may want to upgrade your garage to accommodate more trucks and drivers. There are two main types of garages in ATS:
- Small Garage: The standard garage you start with. It holds only 1 truck and offers limited storage space.
- Large Garage: Once you upgrade, the garage can hold up to 5 trucks. This is crucial if you want to hire more drivers and expand your fleet.
Costs of Upgrading a Garage
Upgrading a small garage to a large one costs around $100,000, but the investment pays off over time as you increase your capacity for drivers and trucks. Here’s why upgrading is beneficial:
- Increased Fleet Capacity: More space allows you to buy additional trucks and store them in your upgraded garage.
- Higher Revenue Potential: By hiring more drivers, your fleet will bring in consistent income even when you’re not actively playing.
- Fast Travel Benefits: With multiple large garages, you can fast travel across long distances to complete jobs faster.
4. Hiring Drivers and Expanding Your Fleet
After upgrading your garage, the next logical step is to hire drivers and purchase more trucks. This is where the business management aspect of American Truck Simulator comes into play. Hiring drivers allows you to generate passive income while you continue your own deliveries.
How to Hire Drivers:
- Access the Recruitment Agency: From the in-game menu, go to the Recruitment Agency. Here, you will find a list of drivers available for hire.
- Choose Drivers Wisely: Look at the ratings and skills of potential drivers. Some drivers may be more experienced and efficient, but they may also demand a higher salary.
- Assign Drivers to Garages: Once hired, assign drivers to work from one of your garages. You will also need to ensure each driver has their own truck to use, so make sure you have enough trucks for your growing team.
The more drivers you have working for you, the more revenue your company will generate.
5. Best Locations to Buy a Garage in ATS
Not all garages in American Truck Simulator are created equal. When buying your next garage, location matters. Consider the following factors when choosing where to buy your garage:
- Strategic Proximity to Jobs: Buy garages in central locations or high-traffic cities that offer lucrative jobs. Cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, or Phoenix are excellent choices due to their high volume of job opportunities.
- Geographical Variety: If you’re expanding your business, consider buying garages in cities that are spread across the map. This will allow you to fast travel between different regions of the map, saving you valuable time.
- DLC Areas: If you have purchased DLC packs for additional states or regions, investing in garages in those new areas can give you a competitive edge by offering access to more jobs and routes.
6. Conclusion
Purchasing a garage in American Truck Simulator is essential for scaling your trucking business and increasing your profits. Whether you’re just starting out with your first small garage or looking to expand your empire with multiple locations, following the steps outlined in this guide will help you make the most of your investment.
By saving up for a new garage, upgrading your facilities, and strategically expanding your fleet, you’ll unlock new opportunities and enjoy even more success in American Truck Simulator. Make sure to choose the right location for your garages and hire skilled drivers to maximize your profits and keep your trucking business running smoothly.