Radio Euro Truck Simulator 2
Fanny Lococo
TruckersFM, also known as Truckers.FM or TFM, is an independent online radio station created by the Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator community,[1] and also features in other simulator genres such as Farming Simulator.[2] The station was founded in October 2015 by brothers Alexander and Joshua Blackman.[3]
The station predominately plays chart music, pop music as well as rock and EDM. Their sister radio station, BigRigFM primarily plays country music. TruckersFM is available online, on various audio streaming services such as TuneIn and on smart speakers such as Amazon Echo. TruckersFM is featured within the in-game radio directories of the simulation game titles Euro Truck Simulator 2, American Truck Simulator and the Farming Simulator series.
British video game news site Eurogamer describes TruckersFM as "an alternative to listening to real-world radio stations inside a game, (which) has become an alternative to real-world stations out in the real world."[3]
Launched in October 2015,[2] TruckersFM was created as a dedicated radio station by the Truck Simulator and TruckersMP multiplayer modification communities.[4] The idea behind the station is to allow players to tune into a radio station that provides news, entertaining stories, virtual traffic reports[5] and on-air competitions for them to interact with.[3]
On 11 May 2017, TruckersFM gained partner status with Discord, a proprietary freeware VoIP application designed for creating communities ranging from gamers to education and businesses. Its Discord community has over 20,000 members, which makes it one of the more popular communities in the music category on Discord.[6]
In February 2018, members of the TruckersFM team visited the headquarters of SCS Software,[7] the developers of Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator. The visit resulted in a closer relationship between the station and game developers, as well as the creation of exclusive radio imaging for TruckersFM, consisting of members of the game's development team saying the TruckersFM slogan.[8]
In October 2019, TruckersMP, the community created multiplayer modification for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, partnered with TruckersFM to provide exclusive updates, official events, and giveaways for the simulation community.[9]
On 26 May 2019, TruckersFM launched a new sister station called BigRigFM, a country music radio station, created to cater specifically for the American 18-wheeler truck drivers section of the Truck Simulator community.[3] This station broadcast without presenters until 23 April 2022, when Cowie presented the official launch show.
On 16 October 2020, TruckersFM celebrated its 5th anniversary of broadcasting[10] with a virtual in-game festival on the Euro Truck Simulator 2 multiplayer modification, TruckersMP. They also partnered up with gaming brands and developers such as HyperX, Focus Home Interactive, SCS Software and Fanatec to giveaway over 2000 euros worth of prizes to listeners and followers on their social media channels.
Being a heavily community-orientated radio station, TruckersFM launched its own virtual 'Street Team' in October 2018. The Street Team organize seasonal (previously monthly) online convoys and large alternative events on the TruckersMP multiplayer modification, allowing the presenters and staff of TruckersFM to directly interact with the community. These virtual convoys generally see over 400 online players attend and participate, and on occasions have seen between 500 and 700 attendees.[12]
The scale of Street Team Convoys assisted in the creation of a formal partnership with TruckersMP, who noted that TruckersFM "are one of the largest communities that contributes significantly to TruckersMP on a regular basis."[9]
[Update: After publishing, members of the TSR community and the original interviewees reached out to clarify the origins of the radio station. The article has been updated to reflect those changes.]
For many, Euro Truck Simulator 2 is a stubborn rhetorical question. Why play a game that simulates work, the slow transport of goods across long stretches of pseudo-European highways? Players have to manage everything an actual trucker would: delivery schedules, fuel costs, road tolls, bank loans, and their careers in the cutthroat online trucking industry. Hauling 30 tons for hours at a time, avoiding accidents and obeying local traffic laws all the while can be lonely, stressful labor.
Things blew up quickly for Rick. "I got a small team together to help me with the administration side of things. We had techs, people to deal with DJ applications, PR. We had over 40 DJ's to cover 24 hours. Before I knew it, we had 400 to 500 listeners." Unfortunately, life got in the way and Rick had to leave after 18 months as he just couldn't find the time for such a big project.
James is stuck in an endless loop, playing the Dark Souls games on repeat until Elden Ring and Silksong set him free. He's a truffle pig for indie horror and weird FPS games too, seeking out games that actively hurt to play. Otherwise he's wandering Austin, identifying mushrooms and doodling grackles. "}), " -0-10/js/authorBio.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); James DavenportSocial Links NavigationJames is stuck in an endless loop, playing the Dark Souls games on repeat until Elden Ring and Silksong set him free. He's a truffle pig for indie horror and weird FPS games too, seeking out games that actively hurt to play. Otherwise he's wandering Austin, identifying mushrooms and doodling grackles.
Since the beginning of video game history, music and sound have always played an incredibly important role in transporting players into an immersive world that surrounds their character. From the tense battle music that plays in Pokmon Blue when you meet a challenger to the legendary, orchestral themes of Halo, these soundtracks bring video games to life and fill them with emotion.
Most game studios will have their own music written and composed to be played throughout their storyline, but one gaming community has taken it upon themselves to bring their own soundtrack to their favourite game. Featured by the developers of popular truck driving simulators Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, and available to listen to in-game, is Truckers.FM, a radio station created by the community of the game, for the community. Just like what you would find in the likes of Grand Theft Auto, Truckers.FM brings truck sim players a radio station tailored to the best driving experience possible.
So where did this all begin? Community-run projects like this were nothing new before Truckers.FM showed up. Players had already seen the creation of virtual trucking companies for players to join, and online events such as truck festivals and large convoys with other players were both numerous and very popular.
At first glance, you could be forgiven for seeing a niche gaming community, who enjoy driving trucks across the beautiful landscape of a virtual Europe and America. But a closer look reveals a passionate and rich community experience, which even the average gamer can enjoy.
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