Does anyone know how to increase the speed/horsepower on my trucks? Whenever I carry a load, it takes forever to get to speed. I even tried using cheats to give myself the higher end trucks, but I swear they are even worse

No, they not worse.

Check GOG trailer (or maybe some old trailer if you can find them). Truck speedup more faster (still too slow) in trailer than in actual game. Only TOP truck can do similar to this... That how it work back in '00 on WinXP (aways).

Still it can be completed without Game Over screen (time limit, money limit and cargo dmg limit) even on Medium\Hard (every difficulty change lcoation of USA) - just pick... hmm... im not sure. For EASY first take cargo from Rhino (or where you srtaed?) to Phoenix. From Phoenix you can deliver cargo to LV - and back to Phoenix. This cargo have huge time limit - you never late. First cargo to Phoenix have enough time to deliver - only if you dont stuck\crash any. Some long-distance cargo dont have enough time for starting Truck (for each locations\diff). Some short-distance have short time limit for driving in that short distance - for Med\Hard difficulty starting Truck and lcoations.

If you never played that before - just play fw hours and skip that then to next parts in the series.
Or cheat money\trucks, go to truck service, get top truck, cheat money back (using CheatEngine or ArtMoney) and play then few hrs - before skip to next parts.

I play 18 Wheels of Steel the first time and i think that the first Truck in the first game is really slow. When you want to drive the Truck starts but very slowly, 1 oder 2 ps. But i don't know maybe it's a feature for a Simulator?

Hello RetroFan and Starving11!

I have not played "18 Wheels of Steel: Hard Truck" myself, for I have started with "Pedal to the Metal" and "Across America". But in those two games I observed two things regarding the start up of the trucks:

First, if the parking brake [standard keyboard: SPACE] (or the motor / engine brake [standard keyboard: B]) is engaged, almost any truck (besides the componentwise completely improved ones) starts very or even extremely slow when initiating the acceleration. While accelerating with engaged parking brake results in a red info text display (warning) on the screen, there is none for accelerating at the same time as the motor / engine brake ("retarder") is operating.

Second, sometimes, the truck does not switch automatically to the higher gears of its transmission -- it stays in the first transmission case when accelerating from a complete halt or standing / parking position, or remains stuck in second or third case while pushing the accelerator from a slowly moving vehicle. Usually, you can see (and hear) the revolution at its corresponding peak for the transmission case it is stuck in.
Most of the times I observed this wrong transmission behavior immediately or shortly after a minor accident, that means slightly touching or scratching an obstacle or other vehicle or even "stepping" over the pedestrian walkway or stepping stone of a middle isle between the two directional lanes.
When manual shifting up on gear (transmission case) [standard keyboard: A] the transmission usually jumps on gear / case but returns to fully automatic afterwards.

Again, I do not know, if this is related to your observation of too slow trucks in "Hard Truck", or if the initial trucks just are really that bad.

Kind regards,
foxgog

foxgog

Hard Truck: 18 Wheels of Steel have broken weird startup mechanics. Actual in game speedup differ than in trailer - especially for non TOP trucks. And brakes work almost like in NFS:MW (2005) - releasing aclrte lead to immoderately stop if you on low speed.
Im not sure, steering is a way to boost initial speedup in first HT:18WoS?

Some delivery force player to not stop at red lights (even those without strong time restriction token and so without huge payment) - if you on two of the worst trucks. They start moving too slow.

Playing with AUTO is usually my choice in racing\sims. You have ability to force down\up gear. But in HT:18WoS it often not allow player to do that (depand on speed). Im not sure what is better. On MANUAL you can set highest gear next to 1st. Sometimes even on MANUAL geat not always switch or when you slowdown and need to down gear - it automatically skip to next when you press just ones (eg from 8 to 7 actually down automatically to 6).

In AA and PttM truck starting very well even on handbrake. But on 3\4 gear it not grow rpm further.

That hint with the parking brake was good, i didn't knew that. But it solved not my problem for me. I played the first Chapter of this game so far (LA, Las Vegas, Phoenix, etc.).