Your truck.
Your operation.
Every mile connected.

1. Install the complete release package using either method below. Start ATS, enable HaulTools Simulation in Mod Manager, then load your profile.
2. Complete Patreon activation if prompted. This guide works offline; account activation is a separate online process.
3. Park and press F9. Open Settings → Your profile and set the driver/company information. Choose your units and HOS cycle under Driver log → Hours of service.
4. Open Settings → Simulation and enable the systems you want. Industrial supply is enabled by default. Disabled features can hide their workspace entries.
5. Start a pre-trip in Inspections, then request a load in Dispatch & radio → Player dispatch, or start an industrial chain. Close F9 to return to driving.

Close ATS before installing or updating. Use the package for the supported executable: ATS 1.61.3.18, Windows 64-bit. The installer checks the actual game executable. A newer or different executable needs a compatible HaulTools release.

Automatic installation

1. Run HaulToolsSimulation_Setup.exe from the release supplied to you. The installer includes the required files; if your installer instead shows Choose ZIP…, select the complete Simulation release ZIP.
2. On Welcome, select Continue. Setup detects Steam library locations.
3. On Install locations, verify ATS GAME FOLDER and ATS USER FOLDER. Use Browse if either is wrong. Select the user folder itself, not its mod subfolder.
4. Select Install Simulation. Allow the Windows permission prompt if needed. Wait for file checks, installation and verification to finish.
5. Select Finish. Launch ATS, enable HaulTools Simulation in Mod Manager for the profile you use, load the profile and press F9.

Manual installation

1. Extract the complete HaulTools Simulation release package. Keep its DLL, runtime and SCS together.
2. Copy the contents of the package’s AmericanTruckSimulator folder into the actual ATS game folder. Merge folders and replace that release’s Simulation files.
3. Copy Documents\AmericanTruckSimulator\mod\HaulToolsSimulation.scs from the package into your active ATS user folder’s mod directory. Create mod if it does not exist.
4. Remove or move aside the old legacy HaulTools DLL/runtime and old HaulTools SCS packages so both generations do not load together. Keep unrelated plugins and mods.
5. Launch ATS, enable the matching HaulTools Simulation SCS in Mod Manager, load the profile, complete activation if requested, then open F9.

ATS GAME FOLDER\bin\win_x64\plugins\ HaulToolsSimulation.dll HaulToolsSimulation\ audio\cb\cb_audio.htpak defaults\CB_SpeechCities.txt defaults\CB_SpeechPhrases.txt ATS USER FOLDER\mod\ HaulToolsSimulation.scs

The runtime folder is required for the CB audio and speech defaults. Do not place the DLL in mod, put the SCS in plugins, or copy the outer AmericanTruckSimulator wrapper into an extra nested folder. The HTML guide can stay anywhere; it does not need to be activated as a mod.

After an update

Restart ATS, check F9, and confirm the runtime/audio loads. Existing preferences live in %LOCALAPPDATA%\HaulToolsSimulation\config\HaulTools.ini. There is no loose install-folder INI to copy over your preferences. Back up the whole %LOCALAPPDATA%\HaulToolsSimulation folder together with your ATS saves before moving your operation to another PC.

Open F9 → Overview to check duty clocks, current load and truck status before leaving. The clocks show remaining driving/break/shift/cycle time. The load summary reflects the current operation; the latest signed pre-trip/post-trip records provide a quick inspection reference.

1. Check your current duty state and remaining time.
2. Review the load and truck information. Open the relevant workspace to make a change rather than treating a summary as a booking confirmation.
3. Use the duty controls when your work status changes. Automatic driving marks movement when enabled; use On Duty for non-driving work and Off Duty or Sleeper for rest.

The small driving windows keep the logbook, CB and Dispatch visible after the main workspace closes.

Pre-trip and post-trip walkarounds

1. Park, set the brake and open Inspections. Start a pre-trip before work or a post-trip at the end. Alt + I starts a pre-trip walkaround.
2. Enter exterior WalkMode with F12. Follow the blue station guides when enabled and move to the highlighted truck/trailer component.
3. Use the displayed interaction key at each station to record its result. Shift + interaction key marks a defect where the walk inspection offers that action. Follow the live prompt/tablet feedback.
4. Complete the checklist and sign the report using the paperwork controls. A started but unsigned inspection is not a completed signed record.
5. Review the saved report and arrange work in Truck services for an actual maintenance finding.

Interactive walk inspections and blue guides default on. Turning off interactive walkaround in Configuration allows the standard eight-item F9 checklist.

The sleeper sequence

Fit WalkMode to your truck

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + F12 to open the camera/settings popout.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + M to give the panel mouse control. Use it again to return mouse look.
3. Adjust the cab length, walking bounds, sleeper positions and bed height to fit the truck. Long sleepers support a cab rear limit up to 650 cm. Adjust walking pace, eye height, jump height and sounds as needed.
4. Use Save Truck for a per-truck calibration. Saved profiles follow the truck’s brand, name and license plate and load on cab entry. Load/Delete Profile manage that saved calibration.

Settings → WalkMode & lights also exposes common sound, entry motion and headlamp controls. If the camera clips the bed, adjust bed height and sleeper position instead of repeatedly toggling modes.

Interactive refueling

1. Enable Manual fueling / prompts in Simulation. Park at a real fuel station within the configured reach, set the brake, turn the engine off and enter exterior WalkMode. The extra fuel reach defaults to 20 feet and is capped at 20 feet.
2. Face a valid pump and press the displayed interaction key to take the nozzle directly. The payment keypad is disabled by default.
3. Walk beside your truck within the pump’s allowed range.
4. Hold the displayed interaction key to fuel. Watch the tank percentage. Release to stop and settle the actual ATS fuel bill.
5. Return to the same pump, face it and interact to return the nozzle. Wait for Nozzle returned, then return to the truck.

Esc cancels an active fuel interaction; ATS still charges for fuel already dispensed. To restore the optional payment keypad, set KeypadEnabled=1 under [FuelCard] in HaulTools.ini; its game PIN is 1234. The fuel card workspace is a separate program with enrollment and invoice controls. The interaction key and trailer key must differ.

Outside trailer service

Enable Outside trailer service. HaulTools reads your ATS Trailer attach/detach keyboard binding (normally T) and displays it at the service station.

Use the live prompt to identify the next station. Trailer layout and leg availability vary. In-cab attach controls cannot bypass an active outside-service step.

1. In a loaded single-player driving session, approach the actual company’s job-market marker. For an industrial reservation, use the pickup company/city on its load card.
2. Drive across the marker once so ATS detects physical contact. Being near the depot or merely setting GPS is not enough.
3. Move away to your preferred parking position, stop and set the brake.
4. Use your normal ATS Activate binding (normally Enter) when the company’s job-market prompt is available. Open Freight/Cargo Market and accept the desired job normally.
5. Follow the normal pickup workflow. Freight loads still require attaching the correct trailer. For Cargo Market jobs with your own trailer, follow ATS’s loading prompts; your rig stays where you parked it.

The remembered marker survives repositioning and opening/closing the market. Acceptance ends remote market access. Cross the marker again after loading a save, changing pickup companies or finishing a job. A receiver can serve as a new job-market pickup once the prior job has finished.

For ordinary ATS deliveries, follow the game’s delivery and parking instructions. Multi-stop unloading has its own workflow below. If a load is absent from the market, use its search/filter checks; extending the marker does not bypass cargo, trailer or skill restrictions.

Run a multi-stop job

1. Park in single player with a valid profile and eligible truck/trailer. Select Request multi-stop. Profile routes target Local 4–6, Regional 6–8 or OTR 8–10 delivery stops when compatible depots/routes are available.
2. Accept the offer in ATS and complete pickup. Open Check stops or the Dispatch window to review the manifest. Route next stop updates guidance.
3. Drive your chosen route. When ready to unload, stop, set the parking brake and keep the loaded trailer connected.
4. Select Unload current stop, say “Unload stop” over PTT, or use the available unload interaction. Exterior walking uses the displayed interaction key. The intermediate-stop in-cab prompt can use ATS Activate.
5. Hold the parked state through unloading: a brief stationary check precedes the approximately 10-second unload. Movement or detachment cancels it. Reconnect/park and retry the same stop if necessary.
6. Check the updated cargo/stops, route to the next stop and repeat. For the final stop, complete the delivery and view the results in ATS. If no final results appear, use the normal ATS delivery interaction.

You can unload intermediate stops at your chosen parking location without lining up with a depot marker. Intermediate stops can pay a bonus of up to $1,500 per stop, depending on your settings. ATS handles the final contract payment separately.

Request more delivery time asks Dispatch for an extension when eligible. Ordinary “find a load” requests remain single-stop; a 100% multi-stop chance setting does not turn every ordinary request into a multi-stop route. Booking through Dispatch requires single player.

CB radio

1. Open CB radio, turn on the radio and select a channel. Default is channel 19. Set voice/static/echo levels and conversation options.
2. Open Audio & voice to select microphone/output devices, enable speech recognition and run Test microphone / Test transmission. Refresh devices after changing hardware.
3. Hold F10, speak, then release. Start with “Dispatch, find a load” or “Dispatch, request load from Phoenix to Tucson.” Use supported city names in the speech catalog. The UI request buttons are available when voice is not convenient.
4. When a conversation offers replies, select them with Alt + 1, 2 or 3. These are contextual replies, not universal load-accept shortcuts.

Player dispatch also controls dispatcher calls, voice, automatic job chance and interval. Default automatic offer chance is 35% at a 180-real-second interval when eligible. Available voices include Mike, Sarah, Chris and Dana. Windows speech recognition and the packaged audio must be available for voice features.

Driving windows

Ctrl + Shift + C toggles CB, L toggles Logbook, and D toggles Dispatch. Ctrl + Shift + M switches mouse interaction on/off so you can move or use the panels, then return control to driving. Ctrl + Shift + R toggles CB power.

1. Load an eligible multi-stop job and finish any current unload. Park and set the brake.
2. Open Route planner and enable Plan my route.
3. Search a company/city or select a destination on the map. Add intermediate stops, reorder or remove them. Up to ten intermediate planning stops are supported; the ATS job’s final delivery stays last.
4. Apply to GPS. ATS validates the route and computes road guidance. Use Restore dispatch route to return to the assigned route.
5. Save normally in ATS to retain applied GPS state. An un-applied draft is not a saved game route.

Trip planning changes navigation; it does not manufacture industrial cargo or delivery credits. The phone/tablet Trip planner provides the same practical planning workflow with touch controls. Road-map availability depends on the loaded world.

Open Industrial supply directly below Inspections. You can manage the feature in Settings → Simulation. Start with your own truck, no active job/selected pickup, and no owned trailer attached: industrial contracts use Freight Market supplied trailers.

Book the first inbound load

1. Wait for the available depots to load. If prompted, close F9 and return to driving while HaulTools checks the routes and trailers.
2. Browse chains with the arrows. Review the supplier → processor → customer names and cities. Choose Start chain. Browsing a different choice alone does not change your active chain.
3. Select Book inbound <material>. Read the Current load card: cargo, units/weight, pickup company/city, delivery company/city, expiry and next action.
4. Before driving, open ATS Freight Market, select the pickup city and search the cargo. Match destination and weight. Listed in ATS means your reserved load has been found in the market. If the card says Verify in ATS, check the market for the matching load before heading to pickup.
5. If needed, use Route / refresh pickup, clear market filters and check again. Close F9 and return to driving briefly before checking the market again. Keep the same chain while refreshing a booking.
6. At the supplier, take that job and attach the loaded freight trailer. The supplier’s stored stock decreases once ATS confirms pickup and loading.
7. Deliver through ATS normally. Receiver inventory is credited once. ATS pays the freight contract.

What the panels mean

Production and outbound delivery

Production starts automatically when the processor has enough materials and space. For example, a Glass production batch can use 12 Sand to make 5 Glass over 240 game minutes. The Sand is consumed when production starts, and the Glass appears as incoming until the batch finishes. Check Active production for your chain’s recipe and remaining time.

1. Advance ATS game time by driving or resting. Pause/menu time does not finish a batch.
2. When the batch completes, its output becomes stored/available stock. Multiple inbound deliveries may be needed to fill a legal outbound trailer.
3. When output stock and customer demand permit, select Book outbound <product>.
4. Find the new Freight Market offer, collect it at the processor and deliver to the displayed customer. The customer receives the goods, and ATS pays you for the delivery.

Supplier replenishment and customer consumption occur every 360 game minutes. Available space, existing bookings, recipe quantities and trailer capacity determine how much you can haul.

Saving and loading your progress

Save normally in ATS. Your industrial inventory, bookings, production progress and completed deliveries are linked to that save automatically. Loading an older tracked save returns your operation to its earlier state, including any load or production batch that was in progress. Progress made after that save stays separate.

If you load a save from before you started using Industrial supply, start a chain while you have no active job. If matching industrial history is unavailable, inventory pauses and the workspace explains what to do next. Back up your HaulTools profile data together with your ATS saves.

Enable Fleet & Hiring in Simulation if these tabs are hidden. ATS retains the underlying hired-driver/truck roster. HaulTools adds operational schedules, readiness, dispatch and accounting around it.

1. Choose Your truck or Fleet truck. For fleet work, select the correct driver/truck.
2. For your truck, choose Run player diagnostics. Review vehicle identity, inspection findings, service description and estimate.
3. Choose Authorize service when the displayed work is what you want. Verify the charge and updated maintenance status.

Default preventive-maintenance interval is 15,000 miles for player and fleet trucks. Minor observed wear is not automatically out-of-service. Repair and PM are different tasks: repairing wear does not automatically reset a PM interval. Repairs at an ATS service shop can also resolve matching maintenance findings.

Use Inspections to record a defect and Truck services to resolve maintenance. Their records serve different purposes.

1. Open F9 → Companion with the ATS profile loaded. Enable the server/LAN option if needed.
2. Put the phone/tablet on the same local network as the gaming PC. Open the address displayed in Companion, or use Open QR. Default port is 27880.
3. Enter the displayed six-digit pairing code. Each paired device gets its own trusted-device token.
4. Use Overview, Dispatch, Trip, ELD / DOT and More for Fleet, Hiring, Alerts and Settings. Narrow screens put extra workspaces under More.
5. Revoke devices you no longer use in Companion settings. Regenerate the pairing code when you need a new enrollment code.

The terminal shows live profile clocks, duty history, dispatch, fleet, inspection and industrial data when those features are available. Sleeper/Break actions use the same parking and rest requirements as F9. Trip supports drag, pinch, zoom, Fit trip, My truck, company search and route application.

Keep ATS running. Paused, disconnected or stale state is shown in the browser; a queued command can expire if the game cannot service it. Reload the companion browser after a plugin update. If the phone cannot connect, check the shown address, LAN server setting, network and Windows firewall access for your private network. Do not expose this local terminal with internet port forwarding.

Common default audio values are CB voice 10%, static/filter 30%, footsteps 40%, jump 60%, breathing 45% and cab-entry sound 70%. These are separate from ATS’s master volume. The headlamp starts at 155% brightness and 100% beam.

These are fresh-install defaults. Existing saved assignments override them. Open Settings → Hotkey assignment to check your current bindings. A shortcut acts only in its eligible context; typing/editing captures the keyboard.

Assignable HaulTools commands

Workspace, WalkMode and service controls

Ctrl + F9 is reserved by ATS and cannot be assigned to a HaulTools command.

Useful files for support

Plugin log: %LOCALAPPDATA%\HaulToolsSimulation\logs\HaulToolsSimulation.log Active preferences: %LOCALAPPDATA%\HaulToolsSimulation\config\HaulTools.ini ATS logs in the active ATS user folder: game.log.txt game.crash.txt

Include the HaulTools release version, ATS version, selected workspace, exact action and whether the game was paused, in a market menu or driving. Include a screenshot of the status card or error message if available.