BeamNG meets ETS2
Hey r/BeamNG. Software dev here, ten-ish years in the industry, started modding recently. I've been building a career overhaul for BeamNG for a few months and I'm at a point where I could really use the community's input before I lock in the next big piece.
The goal of the mod is to give BeamNG's career mode actual cohesion. Fewer menus, more world. A PC that looks and behaves like a PC. Parts you order, pick up, and install — not magic. A courier job where you drive for a company instead of collecting boxes from random markers. Police that reacts to your driving instead of spawning around you. That kind of direction.
Decent chunk of it is already playable:
What's already working:
- PlanEx Delivery — a multi-stop courier system. Drive to a depot, fill your vehicle, deliver across multiple stops, bring returns back. 37 pack types across 5 tiers, with fragile/temperature/urgent/speed-limit mechanics that stack. Star rating per delivery, 20-level progression.
- Windows XP desktop with a working IE browser — 14+ themed websites (bank, used car marketplace, 10 brand dealerships, parts shop, real estate, email, weather, delivery dispatch, etc.). You browse the internet to manage your career.
- iPhone with 19 apps, auto-closes while driving.
- Used car marketplace (eBoy Motors) — every listing is procedurally unique. 9 seller archetypes (grandma who underprices, flipper who knows the market, scammer with rolled-back odometer, dealer pro who expects you to haggle, etc.). Chat-based negotiation with moods. Defects can hide until days after purchase.
- Parts system — browse, order, pick up at warehouse or pay for delivery, install yourself via a desktop terminal or pay a shop.
- Adaptive police — drive normally and you barely see them. Break rules and NPCs report you. Pursuits escalate by damage, not timers. Persistent per-map heat. Police recognize your car. Country-aware pools (Italy gets Carabinieri).
- Multi-map travel — move between maps preserving your vehicle, trailer train, cargo state, and per-map heat. Fog-of-war discovery. Toll system. 4 maps supported, 2 fully populated.
- FICO-style credit score, loans, mortgages, repossession. Real estate with rentals and purchase. Per-part painting with tiered finishes. Dynamic weather, full 365-day calendar.
But I'm not here to sell the mod.
Here's what I actually want to talk about
The next major system I want to build is a proper long-haul trucking career inside BCM — ETS2-shaped, using BeamNG's physics, multi-map travel, and real trailer dynamics. Not a copy of ETS2, something that does what ETS2 can't.
This part isn't in the mod yet — it's what I'm planning next. Loading times between maps are an obvious concern; I can't make them faster, but I'm exploring ways to make the dead time useful.
Here's roughly what I've sketched out. Your feedback here genuinely changes the outcome because implementation hasn't started.
Progression — four phases
Gated by level, not just money. You can't skip the ladder with cash.
- Freelance. Company provides the truck and trailer, you show up and drive. Thin pay, zero financial risk, build XP.
- Your own tractor. Buy a used truck (or take a loan). Now you pick trailers from the cargo market. Better pay, but fuel, repairs, tolls, and fines come out of your pocket.
- Your own trailer. Specialization kicks in — flatbed, refrigerated, tanker, car carrier, lowboy. Each type accepts certain cargo.
- Fleet owner. Hire NPC drivers, assign them trucks, generate passive income while you keep driving.
Skill tree — six branches
One perk point per level, 20 levels total, 6 branches × 6 tiers. You can't max everything — specialization is forced.
- ADR (Hazmat) — unlocks dangerous goods classes: flammables, gases, corrosives, toxics, explosives, radioactives. Big pay bumps.
- Long Distance — extends max route range. Low tier = local. Max tier = transcontinental multi-map runs.
- High-Value Cargo — electronics, luxury vehicles, artwork, prototypes. Better pay, harsher damage penalties.
- Fragile Cargo — defensive perk. Reduces damage penalty percentages.
- Just-in-Time — time-limited deliveries with tighter windows at higher tiers. High risk, high reward.
- Eco-Driving — passive bonus for smooth driving. Stacks on everything.
The map network
Maps connect as a graph. West Coast ↔ Utah ↔ East Coast ↔ (ferry) ↔ Italy, and so on. Every connection has a toll — cheap for land, expensive for ferries. Long-haul pays more but tolls eat your margin.
Fog-of-war: you only see maps you've been to or their direct neighbors. Your world grows as you drive. (This part already works — it's what the trucking system plugs into.)
Company reputation
Facilities belong to companies. Deliver well → reputation grows → better contracts, higher pay, exclusive high-value loads. Each company has its own personality: some pay well but are strict. Others pay less but are flexible.
Road trains (multi-trailer)
BeamNG natively supports multi-trailer setups. Late-game runs where you pull two or three trailers. More cargo, more pay, much harder physics.
Economic pressure
The goal is that a careful driver with the right skill tree makes real money, and a reckless one burns out fast. Fuel is meaningful. Repairs are real. A bad accident on a high-value run can wipe your day. Fragile cargo damage can zero out an entire payment.
So — what would you change?
- What's the ETS2 mechanic you love most that I haven't mentioned?
- What does ETS2 do that you hate and want done differently here?
- Is four progression phases the right granularity, or too many/too few?
- Road trains — how interested are you in pulling two trailers through USA terrain?
- Anything from ATS, TDU, or SnowRunner you'd want ported into this?
I'm genuinely looking for pushback, not validation. If any of this is a bad idea, I'd rather hear it now than after building it.
Discord (daily chat + beta updates): https://discord.gg/WqwvAhjH2w GitHub (current build + source): https://github.com/thingsbyjosh/better_career_mod
Quick disclaimer: English is not my first language, so I'm translating as I write and the phrasing might feel a bit stiff or AI-ish in places. It isn't — just me struggling to edit articles in a language I don't use daily. Bear with me.
^(Credit:) ^(the) ^(car) ^(carrier) ^(trailer) ^(in) ^(the) ^(screenshot) ^(is) ^(RenAzuma66's) ^(Car) ^(Carrier) ^(Trailer.) ^(Not) ^(included) ^(in) ^(BCM) ^(*—*) ^(grab) ^(it) ^(separately) ^(from) ^(their) ^(mod) ^(page.)