Construction Simulator guide: How to spend less money and gain more

In terms of most sim economies, Construction Simulator is pretty forgiving. For the most part, you shouldn't find yourself too cash-strapped. But, that doesn't mean you can just spend your funds without a care in the world, either. This guide should help you remain afloat and keep the money flowing.

These are just some key things to keep in mind so you can both earn more rewards from each job and keep more cash in your account. You shouldn't find yourself needing to take out a loan, either.

Properly assess if you want to buy a machine or just rent it

Construction Simulator has various jobs for you to complete, so you’ll often make use of all sorts of different machinery. That said, you’ll want to hold off on trying to build a big fleet as soon as possible, especially in the early stages of the game. Machine rental prices are pretty fair, and if you only need the machine for one part of a job, you may very well only get a few minutes of use out of it at a time.

However, there are machines you’ll use more often than others, like cranes (either tower cranes or mobile). You start with a mobile crane and flatbed truck combo, and they’ll serve you well in most cases. Larger jobs will require larger equipment, so a tower crane can be your next full purchase. Dozers and front-end loaders are also used frequently, as are cement mixers.

Return rented machines quickly

You’ll notice that whenever you rent a machine, money is not automatically debited from your account. Rather, it's only taken once you return the machine. Thus, if you return it as soon as you’re done using it, you’ll only have to pay a small fraction of a daily rental fee. When the clock strikes 1AM, however, you’ll be charged the full daily amount for any machines that have not been returned. So don't forget to check your vehicle selection menu to make sure all machines are returned before the job is completed or right after it's completed.

Storage will save you

For owned vehicles, don't forget to send them to the Vehicle Hall when the aren't in use. Doing so will keep them neatly organized, and they’ll be auto-maintained as well — all for free. This includes fuel being replenished and repairs being made. The process isn't instantaneous, though. Several real-world minutes will need to pass before the machines are back to "Perfect Condition."

Fast travel or not?

Fast traveling in Construction Simulator is great for lazier moments, but sometimes it's just more efficient. Some vehicles aren't roadworthy, so it's necessary to move them by means of a vehicle trailer or fast traveling. In some cases fast traveling is the only option, as not every machines can't go on a trailer. If options are available to you, just take a look at the cost of fast traveling to the required destination versus loading it up onto a trailer.

In most cases, the fast travel option is cheaper. If you’re considering buying a semitruck with a vehicle trailer, the equivalent cost of fast travel overtime will take quite a while; most locations only cost a few hundred credits or less. So, again, fast travel proves to be the better option. In fact, under the Milestones section of the Company menu, you’ll see that as you keep using fast travel, you’ll get a discount once a new stage of this specific milestone is achieved. Speaking of…

Regular customer discount

In addition to fast travel discounts, the Milestones menu tracks what stage you’re at with other discounts, including machine rentals and buying bulk materials. So, while the game does technically penalize you for using conveniences like fast traveling, that penalty reduces over time.

A wealth of perks in the "Skills" menu.

Skilled businessman

Completing more jobs lets you level up and acquire skill points. From the Skills menu, you can use these skill points and upgrade skills that’ll reduce the cost of fuel and reduce wear and tear, in addition to other useful perks.

Buy bulk yourself

Some machines, like cement mixers and dump trucks, allow you to use the Context menu to instantly fill their containers with the bulk material you need. However, it's a little more economical to go to the Gravel Plant yourself and get what you need.

Buy building materials yourself

You’ll often need to buy building materials for some jobs. When buying them, you can have them delivered to your warehouse to store them for future jobs or you can have the needed materials delivered to the construction site. If your flatbed is large enough to carry everything, it may be more economical to simply have them loaded onto the trailer and take them to the site.

Now that we’ve discussed spending less money, what about making more?

More time, more money

For more complex jobs, you can alter the Job Scope before you accept it. If you look at the bottom left corner of the briefing menu, you’ll see three values: Low, Medium, High. As expected, a ‘High’ scope level will require you to spend far more time on the job, but rewards you with a larger paycheck. You can see the differences in time and money values right there in the same menu. This option doesn't apply to every contract, however. It seems to only take effect with contracts that have a lot of operations, like building a house.

Skill booster

Just as there are skills to reduce the cost of some expenses, there's also a skill gauge for increasing your rewards at the end of a job. Called the "Good Businessman" skill, filling it up as soon as possible will net you the biggest payouts.

Mind the milestones.

Sell the bulk back

If you have any bulk left over from a job, you can sell it back to the Gravel Plant to recoup some of the money spent. If you have a job that requires you to dig up any material with machines like an excavator or front-end loader, you can then dump the useless material into a dump truck and take it to the Gravel Plant to make some extra cash. Any unused material left on the site will vanish by the end of the job.

Don't look over the small jobs

In Construction Simulator, there are side missions in additions to the main jobs from the Campaign. For the side missions, there are larger job, like constructing parks and repairing roads, as well as smaller activities like transporting materials. Don't overlook these smaller options, even if they’re only worth a few thousand credits. Not only are they quick-and-easy to cycle through, but the extra cash may very well come in handy with keeping you out of the clutches of a loan.

Following these tips should keep your cashflow consistent as you complete different jobs around the world of Construction Simulator.