Utility 3000R – ATS 1.61 UPDATE REVIEW (Patreon)

The Utility 3000R has received a major update for ATS 1.61. A lot of work went into improving the trailer’s overall appearance, correcting old configuration problems, making its weight and capacity more realistic, balancing the cargo economy, and completely rebuilding where freight can be picked up and delivered.

Several issues buried inside the trailer and cargo definitions were causing certain chassis to use the wrong body sets, pallet counts to change between loads, and freight to appear at companies that either made no sense or didn’t exist at all.

Major Texture and Material Rework

Every cargo-box texture and material was reworked, and the difference is honestly night and day. The boxes now have sharper print details, better cardboard materials, improved reflections, and products that are much easier to recognize. Compared to the old versions, they look about 10 times better in-game.

The Fresh Apples, Fresh Lemons, and Fresh Oranges cargos were all completely reworked. The previous versions looked dull, and it was difficult to make out the actual products. The updated models and textures have more color, better definition, and a much more realistic appearance inside the trailer.

A brand-new Watermelon cargo was also introduced using a new model created by yours truly.

The reflections on the Painted Wall Set accessory were also adjusted. Before, every panel reflected light too evenly, giving the walls an inflated or puffed-quilt appearance. Each panel now responds to light a little differently, creating a less uniform and much more realistic finish.

The chrome on the rear trailer doors was adjusted as well. It now appears cleaner, brighter, and more polished under different lighting conditions.

Chassis and Configuration Fixes

The 53-foot tri-axle configurations were sharing definitions with the spread-axle chassis. Eight configurations have now been corrected and point to their proper tri-axle definitions.

The spread-axle bodies were also connected to the fixed-axle body sets. I corrected all 16 affected body sets and increased the gross trailer weight limit to 66,139 pounds across eight definitions. This reduced the number of cargo combinations exceeding the trailer’s weight limit from 56 to 32.

Realistic Trailer Capacity

One of the bigger issues was inconsistent pallet capacity. The same trailer could sometimes accept 25 pallets and other times accept 26, depending on the load. The cargo volume and body-size limits were sitting directly on the game’s calculation threshold, which caused the final pallet count to change.

Those values have now been adjusted so pallet counts remain consistent:

53-foot dry van: 26 pallets instead of 29

48-foot dry van: 24 pallets instead of 26

The interior volume of the 53-foot reefer was also slightly below the threshold needed for its final pallet. Its capacity has been corrected from approximately 3,515 to 3,556 cubic feet, allowing it to consistently carry the proper number of pallets.

Cargo Weights, Payouts and Loading Times

All trailer, chassis, and cargo weights were reviewed and adjusted for better realism.

Cargo payouts were adjusted to better match the base game. The average payout per pallet now closely matches SCS, and every cargo falls within the base game’s payout range. Lighter cargo pays slightly more per ton-mile, just like it does with SCS cargo.

Loading times are no longer identical across every load either. Previously, all cargo used the same 117-second loading time. Loading now takes between 100 and 162 seconds depending on the cargo’s fragility, refrigeration requirements, and overall value.

More Realistic Cargo Availability

The company and delivery system received a complete review.

A total of 28 new companies can now ship or receive freight, including ports, rail terminals, grocery stores, farm stores, cold-storage warehouses, chemical plants, and retail locations.

Company coverage increased from 60 to 88 real ATS companies, while the number of valid routing files increased from 1,924 to 3,055!!!

BEHR Paint and Tupperware also received proper manufacturing sources. Previously, those products could only be shipped from warehouses, ports, and rail terminals.

The update is available now on the website under My Downloads. Replace your previous files with the latest versions, enjoy the new content, and as always, thank you for the continued support!