Start with a route, not a purchase
Open the freight board before spending the whole starting balance. A job tells you its route, deadline, cargo weight and required trailer. That is the information that should shape the first purchase.
Build a complete crew
A truck alone does not earn. It needs a compatible trailer, a driver and the right city at the moment of dispatch. Read the readiness line on each contract: it explains the missing piece instead of hiding it behind a disabled button.
Protect the first margin
The payout is not profit. Diesel, wages, roads and wear come out of it. Prefer a feasible job with time in reserve over a tempting express contract; reputation and cash are easier to grow when the first delivery lands cleanly.
