Euro Truck Simulator 2 Multiplayer: TruckersMP vs Your Own Convoy Server

Euro Truck Simulator 2 multiplayer comes in two forms that have little in common. TruckersMP is the free, community-run multiplayer mod for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator. It puts you on large shared servers with hundreds of other drivers at once. Convoy is SCS Software's own multiplayer mode, built into both games, and a Convoy dedicated server is a private session that stays online whether or not anyone is driving.

People searching for TruckersMP often want to know whether they can run their own. They can't. TruckersMP runs its servers itself, and its download page only offers a player launcher. GameServerKings doesn't host TruckersMP servers, and neither does anyone else. What you can rent is a Convoy dedicated server for your friends or your virtual trucking company.

This guide compares the two honestly: what each one is, when each makes sense, how they get in each other's way, and how a Convoy server works on GSK.

What TruckersMP is

In TruckersMP's own words, it is "a free multiplayer modification for Euro Truck Simulator 2 (ETS2) and American Truck Simulator (ATS)… developed and maintained by volunteers". It is "in no way affiliated with or supported by SCS Software".

It works by hooking into the single-player game. You register on truckersmp.com, connect a Steam account that owns ETS2 or ATS, download the Windows launcher (TruckersMP-Setup.exe), then pick a game and a server. The launcher, according to TruckersMP, will "'hook' into the single-player game process" to add other players' trucks, CB radio and chat.

TruckersMP's servers each have fixed rules:

On top of that come TruckersMP's rules and moderation team. Traffic laws apply on Simulation servers, reports of driving offences need video evidence, and staff can remove access at any time. TruckersMP describes everyone on its servers as "a guest". It also restricts what you can bring: the Special Transport DLC isn't supported in either game, and the ProMods servers need all ETS2 map DLCs plus ProMods installed.

What Convoy and a Convoy dedicated server are

Convoy is SCS's built-in multiplayer, added in update 1.41. Players share a session with synchronised AI traffic, time and weather, and can take the same job together. Any player can host a session from the main menu, but it closes when the host leaves.

A dedicated server runs the same kind of session without a host. SCS lists its main advantage as a session that "will always be running, even without any players online… players are free to join the session to continue their job and leave again freely". The server needs no copy of the game or any DLC. SCS: "You can also run a dedicated server without having any ownership of the game or the DLCs."

The trade-off is size. SCS's dedicated server documentation sets max_players: 8 and says the limit is 8 players per session. SCS said in 2021 that it planned to raise the Convoy limit eventually, but as of 28 September 2026 we haven't found an SCS announcement that it has.

TruckersMP vs Convoy, side by side

When TruckersMP is the better pick

• You want a busy road. Nothing a private server offers compares to a crowded Simulation 1 highway or the scheduled convoys held on TruckersMP's event servers.
• You play alone and want company. No group or organisation needed.
• You like enforced rules. A moderated server with speed limits and a report system suits drivers who want simulation discipline without policing it themselves.
• You don't want to pay anything. TruckersMP costs nothing beyond the game.

When your own Convoy server is the better pick

• You play with a fixed group. Friends or a VTC who want the same session every evening, with jobs carried over, don't need a public server.
• You want your own mods. A Convoy server runs any combination of Workshop and third-party mods you export, including trucks, trailers and map mods. See ETS2 Mods on a Convoy Dedicated Server and ATS Mods: Install Them and Run Them on a Convoy Server.
• You want your own rules. Collisions off in service areas, a forced speed limiter, AI traffic on or off, player damage on or off: these are settings in server_config.sii, not policies you have to accept.
• You want it always on. Nobody has to host and stay online.
• You're on a game version TruckersMP doesn't support yet. See the next section.

The version catch if you use both

TruckersMP has to update its mod for every new game version. As of 28 September 2026, its download page lists ETS2 1.61.1.1s and ATS 1.61.2.0s as the versions it supports. Its knowledge base has a guide on downgrading for when your game is newer than TruckersMP supports.

A Convoy dedicated server works the other way round. SCS's session browser marks a session as unjoinable when your game version differs from the server's, and the GSK server updates to the current public release whenever it restarts with Auto update on. So right after a major SCS update, TruckersMP may want you on the old version while your Convoy server wants the new one.

If your group uses both, agree on a version before an SCS update lands. For the Convoy side, the simplest answer is usually to update everyone and re-export your server packages, as described in the mods guides linked above.

How a Convoy server works on GSK

GSK runs SCS's official dedicated server (Steam app 1948160 for ETS2, 2239530 for ATS) on Linux. Setup is the same for both games:

1. Set the Startup variables. Lobby name is the session name in the browser. Steam Auth token is optional but recommended: without one, SCS says the server uses an anonymous account with a search ID that changes every time. Create the token at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers using the game's app ID, 227300 for ETS2 or 270880 for ATS, not the server's.
2. Upload your server packages. The server loads your map, DLC and mod configuration from server_packages.sii and server_packages.dat. You export both from your own game with export_server_packages. They go in .local/share/Euro Truck Simulator 2/ or .local/share/American Truck Simulator/. The mods guides walk through it step by step.
3. Edit server_config.sii in the same folder for everything else: password, max_players, traffic, player_damage, force_speed_limiter, name_tags, mods_optioning, and moderator_list with your moderators' Steam IDs. Leave connection_dedicated_port, query_dedicated_port, server_logon_token and lobby_name alone. The panel rewrites them from the Startup tab at every boot.
4. Start the server. The ETS2 console shows [MP] State: running when the session is up. On ATS it's [MP] Session running.
5. Join from the game. Open Convoy, find the lobby name in the session browser, or search for its ID.

Once you're in, moderators can type /set_time HH:MM or /set_rain_factor 0-1 in chat. For file uploads and the panel itself, see How to upload files via SFTP and How to use your server panel. If friends can't see the server, start with Players Can't Connect to My Server.

FAQ

Can I host my own TruckersMP server?

No. TruckersMP runs all of its servers itself and only distributes a player launcher. No host, GSK included, can sell you one.

Can TruckersMP players join my Convoy server?

Yes, as long as they close TruckersMP and start the game normally. A Convoy server is joined from the game's own Convoy menu, not from the TruckersMP launcher. They need the same game version, map DLCs and required mods as your server.

Is TruckersMP free?

Yes. TruckersMP is free and funded by donations and Patreon. You still need to own ETS2 or ATS on Steam.

How many players can join a Convoy server?

Up to 8 per session, according to SCS's dedicated server documentation.

Does TruckersMP work with American Truck Simulator?

Yes. It supports both ETS2 and ATS, with separate servers for each.

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