Today, we're excited to bring you a unique and special blog for our #BestCommunityEver. This post marks the beginning of what we hope will become a new blog series. We'd like to introduce you to Connor, also known as CaptainC0N - a long-time member of our American Truck Simulator community and a passionate truck enthusiast. Connor's incredible journey, closely tied to ATS, has led him to experiences beyond his dreams. We sat down with him to learn more about his story, and now, we're thrilled to share it with you. Let's dive in!
Connor has been playing our games for a couple of years now and shares the story of how he fell in love with them. "I grew up playing the original Euro Truck Simulator on my family computer in our office room. I remember playing on a standard keyboard and mouse and enjoying every bit. Once ATS came out I bought it. Although my laptop sounded like a spaceship taking off whenever I ran the game, I loved every bit of it. I took a break for a few years but around the Covid pandemic I got back into it and invested in a wheel and pedal setup and that was a game changer. I've since obtained an eye tracker and shifter to add to my current setup."
We also asked Connor about his favorite truck and DLC within our games. "My favorite truck would be a red Western Star 57X. My favorite DLC so far would have to be the Texas DLC and I will be very eager to wait for future DLCs as my home state is Illinois!"
After spending hundreds of hours enjoying both American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2, Connor wanted to try out a real-life trucking experience. This was possible thanks to Western Star and their unique Star Nation Experience 2024 event, in which they also decided to invite two members of our ATS community last year, and Connor was one of them.
"I found out about the Star Nation Experience on a loading screen in the game and it looked like a fun and adventurous experience. I've always wanted to drive a real truck or at least sit in one and I knew that this could be my opportunity. I was blown away by this opportunity and was super excited to be selected. It was a truly remarkable experience. I cannot thank everyone enough from SCS to Western Star and all the people behind the scenes to make it happen. The opportunity to sit in a truck let alone drive a powerful truck like Western Star was crazy and thrilling!"
If you want to see more from the Start Nation Experience, you can check out the SCS On The Road that Nemiro and Mark recorded as they also participated in this amazing event!
While it was Connor's first time sitting in a real truck, he managed to win one of the driving challenges beating all the others including Mark. "One of the challenges included backing up a hill on a steep grade. One of the newer features on the truck was a crawl mode which allowed you to slowly back up a hill without using the accelerator! It slowly went back and we had to stop at a certain spot without hitting anything. I ended up being closest to the line while not going over which meant I was the winner of that competition!"
Towards the end of the event, one of the participants Casey LaDelle came up with an idea to help Connor get his CDL along with us and Western Star, as it was one of his dreams for a long time. "I am currently working on earning my CDL class A license. It's going good so far but it includes a lot of studying as well as learning all the different parts and features of a truck such as the air brake system. I am currently set up to take my permit test this month and then I will begin behind-the-wheel training after passing. My goal is to finish within the next couple of months as I am still working a full-time job during the week as well as spending time with my girlfriend and family."
Connor would like to incorporate trucking into his current job. "I currently work at a steel bar manufacturer and we see trucks come and go all day long! My goal would be to do a small load or two here or there for my company and help out when I can while still having my main job. Also, I would plan on making some YouTube videos along with it to help encourage other young drivers to take the leap and get a CDL!"
You can already follow CaptainC0N on YouTube right now, as he is creating content mostly from ATS. "I started creating content just about a year ago officially. I like being able to interact with others in convoys as well as in the comments or in the chat. I've learned a lot just from talking with others about trucks and learning how to drive a manual transmission. I have even made a few videos of my girlfriend driving a truck and teaching her a bit about the game and the awesome opportunities it can create while also still making it fun!"
In the end, we would like to forward the message Connor, aka CaptainC0N, has for our #BestCommunityEver: "Keep putting in those miles whether you are in a VTC or just conveying with friends! Enjoy the time and experience on the open road. Thank you to everyone who has supported me. I can't wait to continue to carry on this awesome experience and give back to y'all in the future! Don't forget to apply for next year's Star Nation Experience when applications open!"
Before you leave, we just wanted to tell you one more thing! If you have a similar interesting life story like Connor that involves our games, we would really love to hear it and maybe present it on our blog like we did today. So get in touch with us! Follow us on our X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube, so you won't miss out on upcoming news. Drive safe!