In Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, the term damage refers to the physical harm absorbed by the player's truck, trailer, or the cargo they are hauling. Damage is typically a result of traffic accidents or strong impacts with obstacles.
Legacy damage system (prior to update 1.49)[]
Before version 1.49 of ETS2 and ATS, damage is simulated in five parts of the player's truck: engine, transmission, chassis, cabin, and wheels. The engine, transmission and wheels accumulate damage gradually with more distance driven, even if the player has not had any accidents since the last time they repaired their vehicle. Damage to the chassis and cabin is a result of traffic accidents and impacts with obstacles, although the other parts will also absorb damage upon such events.
For the trailer, damage is simulated in 3 parts: body, chassis, and wheels. Only the wheels can accumulate damage with longer driven distance.
According to the game files, the amount of damage absorbed by the player's truck or trailer is directly proportional to the square of the impact speed. This is because the truck or trailer loses all the kinetic energy it carries upon colliding with an object, and kinetic energy is calculated from the formula Ek = 1/2mv2.
New damage system (since update 1.49)[]
In version 1.49 of ETS2 and ATS, a new damage system was introduced, alongside used truck dealership. In the new system, there are three types of damage: "Permanent wear", "Part wear", and "Average damage".
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Average damage | The legacy damage system; works the same way as described in the previous section. |
| Part wear | Accumulates with distance driven. Cannot be fixed by regular repair; must be fixed by part replacement (which costs more money). |
| Permanent wear | Accumulates gradually with distance driven. Cannot be fixed by repair or part replacement; must be fixed by total restoration. |