Community Stories: From ETS2 Gamer to Real Trucker

It's been a while since we last shared a story from our community, and today we're excited to bring you another one. This time, we follow Arda from Türkiye, a fan of Euro Truck Simulator 2, who turned his passion for virtual trucking into reality and has now earned his real truck driver's license!

What started as a love for life on the road in-game has grown into a real profession behind the wheel. Arda started playing Euro Truck Simulator 2 regularly in 2025, and the enjoyment he found in ETS2 inspired him to pursue truck driving in real life.

"ETS2 is extremely popular in Türkiye and has a very large and passionate community. I have always loved simulation games, so I bought the game immediately after discovering it. What I enjoyed most about ETS2 was its realism. The traffic rules, weather conditions, real truck brands, vehicles, countries, and maps all felt incredibly immersive. It genuinely felt like I was traveling across different countries. The truck sounds are very close to reality, and playing the game helps me relax and leave behind the stress of everyday life," says Arda.

When he started playing ETS2, he had no prior experience with driving trucks. At first, Arda played the single-player mode until he discovered Driving Academy and became hooked.

"I immediately thought that maybe this is what I've been looking for. It turned out to be exactly that. On that day, I decided to obtain a truck driver's license. I spent a lot of time practicing in Driving Academy. I challenged myself to complete the scenarios using only the first-person camera view. The final scenarios were extremely difficult. There were many nights when I stayed awake until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning trying to complete a single challenge. At one point, I thought I would never finish them, but after enough repetition and practice, I gradually improved. The final challenges were very difficult, but I was incredibly happy when I completed them all."

Arda realized how much he enjoyed being on the road and traveling toward a destination. The more time he spent playing the game, the more excited he became whenever he saw a real truck on the road. Before the end of the year, he signed up for a truck driving course and decided to pursue it seriously, and eventually succeeded as well.

"The experience I gained in ETS2, and especially in Driving Academy, helped me tremendously during my lessons. Reverse maneuvers, reversing with a trailer, and navigating tight or sharp turns felt much easier because I had already practiced them extensively in the game. I have been driving regular vehicles for many years, but maneuvering a trailer, especially in reverse, is completely different from driving a car. Without ETS2, I would have struggled much more," he told us.

We have also received stories over the years from other members of our community who had a similar story, and we are so proud that ETS2 contributed to Arda's career in real life.

"I told my instructors about the game and how much it had helped me improve so quickly. When I noticed that I was progressing faster than many other trainee drivers, I realized just how beneficial the game had been for me. I saw that around 30–40% of candidates failed. I told many of them about ETS2 because it genuinely helped me. Reversing and parking a truck with a trailer is largely a matter of practice, and Driving Academy provides an excellent environment for that. After enough repetition, your brain becomes surprisingly comfortable performing similar maneuvers in real life."

It goes to show that Euro Truck Simulator 2 and the Driving Academy can help players to grasp the feeling of driving a truck and make it more comfortable when you sit in the real vehicle, as Arda elaborates on here:

"In the game, I often leaned my view out of the driver's side window while reversing into parking spaces. When I later tried similar maneuvers in real life, I was amazed by how natural they felt. Parking in an L-shape to the right (a 90-degree reverse parking maneuver) is difficult both in the game and in reality. However, through countless hours of practice in Driving Academy, I learned how to approach those situations calmly, how much steering input was appropriate, when a maneuver became risky, and how to reverse into areas with limited visibility. The experience felt remarkably close to real life. Without ETS2, I might not have passed the exam," Arda shared with us.

Even though he completed the truck driving license, there are still more things Arda needs to sort out before he can begin his real-life journey on the route.

"In Türkiye - and perhaps in other countries as well - obtaining a truck driver's license is only the first step. To work professionally as a truck driver, additional certificates, transportation qualifications, and international freight transport documents are required. I have already obtained all of them except one, and I am currently waiting for the final certification process to be completed. After that, I will officially be able to work in freight transportation," he says.

At the end of the blog, Arda has a message to the #BestCommunityEver, which might even motivate some of you who have been thinking about taking up a career as a truck driver to make the next step!

"After experiencing real trucks firsthand, I realized how comfortable they actually are. I wish I could drive a truck every day. The cabin is incredibly comfortable, and the driving position provides a great sense of confidence and safety. Being able to see the road from above other vehicles is a unique and enjoyable feeling. The large windshield offers a wonderful view of both the road and the scenery. Even in ETS2, I would often stop to admire beautiful landscapes and lighting conditions. Experiencing that feeling in real life, however, is something truly special and difficult to put into words."

We would like to thank Arda for sharing this story with our community and us, and wish him safe travels in his future truck driving adventures!

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/227300/Euro_Truck_Simulator_2/