In Euro Truck Simulator 2, the in-game map is represented at 1:19 scale (1:15 in the UK, soon to be in the same 1:19 scale with the UK rework), and in American Truck Simulator, the in-game map is represented at 1:20 scale outside of cities and likewise, the day/night cycle advances quickly outside of cities, depots, and most rest stops. This means that one in-game minute lasts about three seconds and thus you can estimate the amount of real time left in a non-External Contract or how long it will take in real time to arrive at your destination via the ETA (Estimated Time of the Arrival). In cities, depots, and rest stops, the scale is 1:3, meaning 20 seconds in real life is 1 minute in-game. Even though time moves faster in between cities, stopping anywhere such as on the side of the road will result in time passing at the slower 1:3 scale. This effectively reduces your earnings from other drivers should you leave your game running while you are away. Keep in mind that Time Compression does not affect the amount of time left in an External Contract from World of Trucks.
| In-Game Time | = Real Time[1] |
|---|---|
| 1 second[2] | 50 milliseconds |
| 1 minute | 3 seconds |
| 10 minutes | 30 seconds |
| 30 minutes | 1 minute, 30 seconds |
| 1 hour | 3 minutes |
| 12 hours | 36 minutes |
| 1 day | 1 hour, 12 minutes |
| 1 week | 8 hours, 24 minutes |
| 1 month (30 days) | 1 day, 12 hours |
| 1 non-leap year | 18 days, 6 hours |
| 1 decade (incl. 2 leap years) | 182 days, 14 hours, 24 minutes |
| 1 century (incl. 24 leap years) | 5 years (incl. 1 leap year), 4 hours, 48 minutes |