Trucking company hiring drivers through American Truck Simulator says the game is making better truckers

The trucking company posting job ads in American Truck Simulator says the game gives inexperienced drivers a leg-up in training.

Earlier this month, American Truck Simulator developer SCS Software revealed its partnership with the real-life trucking company Schneider National. The partnership has put in-game billboards advertising jobs at Schneider across the digital United States, complete with information on how to apply. In-game advertising is nothing new, but the surprise here is that long-time players of the game were broadly supportive of seeing the ads.

Now, media relations manager Kara Leiterman tells Axios that gamers who picked up their commercial driver's license through Schneider's training program often "showed skills above their experience level," and "credited their learning to the video game American Truck Simulator." Leiterman says the company is "optimistic" that the in-game ads will continue to bring in better newbie drivers.

American Truck Simulator isn't the most realistic game to bear a 'sim' in its name, but it does offer a way to get used to handling the size of big rigs on the road, and the near-magical maneuvering it takes to effectively back up with a trailer attached. The game's depiction of the United States is also dramatically scaled down from the real thing - and currently only stretches from California to Texas - but it offers a decent approximation of the US highway system.

They probably won't get you a CDL - or even a regular driver's license - but you can get your driving practice in with the best racing games out there.