100 instead of 80 km/h in a truck: In ETS2 it costs virtual money – in Germany €140 and one point!

In ETS2, we briefly press the accelerator, the speed camera flashes and an amount of money disappears. For a real professional driver, exactly the same mistake can become considerably more serious. Let us take a situation we all know from the simulator: The delivery deadline is getting tight, the motorway is clear and our heavy semi-truck is travelling through Germany at 100 km/h. Who among us has not driven through an 80 zone at 95 because the next deadline suddenly came closer?

For this comparison, we assume that 100 km/h is the legally relevant speed. Differences between the speed displayed, the speed actually measured and possible measurement tolerances are deliberately left aside. Under Section 18(5) of the German Road Traffic Regulations, motor vehicles with a permitted maximum mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes, excluding passenger cars, are generally limited to 80 km/h on German motorways. A classic heavy ETS2 semi-truck therefore belongs to the group relevant to our example. Travelling at 100 km/h consequently means being 20 km/h over the limit.

This expressly does not mean that trucks in Germany are only ever allowed to travel at 80 km/h everywhere and under all circumstances. Within built-up areas, Section 3 of the German Road Traffic Regulations generally sets a limit of 50 km/h unless other signs apply. On ordinary roads outside built-up areas, the maximum speed depends, among other things, on the vehicle’s weight, whether it is towing a trailer and the type of road. Limits of 60 or 80 km/h apply to different heavy vehicles there. Traffic signs, weather, visibility and the specific traffic situation may additionally require a lower speed. The 80 km/h in this article therefore deliberately refers to a heavy semi-truck on a German motorway in favourable conditions and without a specifically signposted lower limit.

The German catalogue of fines contains its own stricter standard penalties for these types of heavy vehicles. For an established offence of 16 to 20 km/h outside a built-up area, the current annex to the German Catalogue of Fines Regulation provides for €140. The official Annex 13 to the German Driving Licence Regulation additionally assigns one point in the German Register of Driver Fitness to this level. Our example of 100 instead of 80 km/h therefore means €140 and one point in the standard case – but not yet a regular driving ban.

This distinction is crucial for an honest headline. Travelling at 100 km/h alone does not automatically produce a one-month driving ban under the assumed 80 km/h limit. In the corresponding table for offences outside built-up areas, the regular driving ban for this vehicle group only begins with an offence of 31 to 40 km/h. At exactly that point, the standard fine rises to €255, accompanied by two points and a one-month driving ban. A driving ban is not the same as the permanent withdrawal of a driving licence, but for someone who earns a living behind the wheel, even one month without permission to drive can have serious professional consequences.

The complete scale for offences outside built-up areas shows how quickly the penalty escalates. Up to 10 km/h over the limit results in €30 in the ordinary case, while 11 to 15 km/h results in €50. An offence of 16 to 20 km/h carries €140, 21 to 25 km/h carries €150 and 26 to 30 km/h carries €175. At 31 to 40 km/h, the consequences rise to €255 and a one-month driving ban, followed by €480 and one month for 41 to 50 km/h, €600 and two months for 51 to 60 km/h, and €700 and a three-month driving ban for more than 60 km/h. The lower levels up to 15 km/h also have a special provision: If the offence lasts for more than five minutes or occurs on more than two occasions after the journey begins, the table provides for an increased standard penalty.

These are standard penalties based on ordinary circumstances and generally negligent offences. Intent, endangerment, property damage or other offences committed at the same time may alter the actual assessment. Vehicles carrying dangerous goods that require special markings and buses carrying passengers also belong to a separate category with sometimes considerably higher amounts. The figures quoted must therefore not be applied indiscriminately to every heavy vehicle and every possible traffic situation.

Our escalation comparison nevertheless remains striking. At 80 km/h, the heavy semi-truck is travelling legally under the assumed conditions. At 100 km/h, it is 20 km/h over the limit: €140, one point, but not yet a regular driving ban. At 110 km/h, the offence would be exactly 30 km/h, resulting in €175 and one point. Just one additional kilometre per hour would reach the next level: 111 to 120 km/h corresponds to 31 to 40 km/h over the limit, resulting in €255, two points and a one-month driving ban in the standard case.

However, this is a legal calculation and not a claim that ordinary heavy trucks can reach such speeds at will. The current Directive 92/6/EEC generally requires goods vehicles in European categories N2 and N3 to be equipped with a speed limiter set so that the vehicle cannot exceed 90 km/h. Exceptions exist for certain vehicle uses. The technical limit of 90 km/h is also not permission to drive at 90 in Germany: The road-traffic motorway limit for our heavy semi-truck generally remains 80 km/h.

The comparison becomes even more surprising when the tachograph is considered. A real speeding offence does not necessarily have to be noticed solely by a stationary speed camera. Under Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, digital tachographs record, among other things, the distance travelled and the vehicle’s speed. Competent enforcement authorities may access the stored data.

In its annex on roadside checks, the consolidated Directive 2006/22/EC expressly refers to periods lasting more than one minute during which a category N3 vehicle travelled faster than 90 km/h. Where appropriate, the vehicle’s momentary speeds recorded during no more than the previous 24 hours of operation may also be examined. This is not the same as an automatic fine for every brief period above 90 km/h. The data may provide enforcement authorities with indications and form part of a specific inspection. Even the remote detection system governed by the Tachograph Regulation is expressly prohibited from directly producing automatic fines or penalties. It may initially trigger a decision to inspect the vehicle and its tachograph more closely.

This is where ETS2 separates particularly clearly from reality. In the stable version 1.60, the game continues to punish speeding, red-light offences, wrong-way driving, collisions and missing vehicle lighting, among other things, with direct monetary deductions. This fine system can be disabled as a whole through the traffic-offences setting. Points, a real driving ban, a real driving licence or an employer asking uncomfortable questions after the incident do not exist in this system. After paying, we can normally continue driving immediately.

That is not automatically a failure of the simulation. SCS Software implements traffic offences as part of the game’s economic system. The penalty is meant to make rules noticeable and cost us money without making an entire save or an ongoing session unplayable after a single mistake. A realistic one-month period of inactivity would either be skipped in a few seconds or simply prevent us from playing the actual content. ETS2 simulates the offence – but not the professional consequences behind it.

There is also the physical dimension. Travelling at 100 instead of 80 km/h means 25 percent more speed. At the same mass, kinetic energy rises with the square of speed. The factor is therefore (100/80)
2
=1.5625. In purely physical terms, the vehicle carries around 56 percent more kinetic energy at 100 km/h than at 80 km/h. This expressly does not mean that the real braking distance automatically becomes exactly 56 percent longer. Reaction time, load, braking system, tyres, road surface, gradient, weather and other conditions influence the actual stopping distance. The calculation nevertheless demonstrates why an additional 20 km/h is not merely a small number on the speedometer of a heavy truck.

A speeding offence in the game creates no real danger. Even after a virtual accident, we can load a save or pay for the repairs. In reality, the driver is moving considerable vehicle mass through public traffic. A crash can injure people, destroy cargo and vehicles, block roads and lead to further legal consequences. Professional drivers may also face operational or employment-related problems, particularly if a driving ban prevents them from performing their job. This does not automatically mean dismissal or loss of the driving licence, but the consequences extend far beyond the fine itself.

A completely realistic system would also be enormously complicated for ETS2. We drive through numerous European countries with different speed limits, vehicle categories, enforcement procedures, fines, point systems and driving bans. SCS would not only have to reproduce every national limit correctly, but also account for special rules involving vehicle weight, trailers, dangerous goods, passengers, road types, repeated offences, duration and technical equipment. A universal monetary penalty is considerably easier to manage as a game mechanic than a complete European traffic-law system.

Nevertheless, there is plenty of room between today’s monetary deduction and a complete legal simulator. Purely hypothetical options could include a lower driver rating, rising insurance premiums, a declining company reputation, less trusting clients, stricter inspections or an escalation system for repeat offenders. An optional hardcore mode could include country-specific truck limits, tachograph analysis or short-term driving bans while leaving the normal game unchanged and accessible. None of these features has been announced.

That leaves the actual design question open. Is it enough for the speed camera to deduct an amount from our account, or should repeated and severe offences eventually affect our virtual career? Should repeat offenders in ETS2 eventually lose more than a little virtual money – or would a driving ban in the simulator simply be annoying?

Do you normally follow speed limits strictly in ETS2, or do you sometimes drive faster when a delivery is running late? Are you surprised that travelling at 100 instead of 80 km/h can already mean €140 and one point? Should ETS2 distinguish between a single mistake and repeated speeding offences?