You play this and have to ask? This is just Euro Space Trucker.
People play Goat simulator...and (err!) chew grass!
They play Flight sim X and run "virtual" airlines and freight imaginary goods all over the world. I can remember playing "Star trek" in 1978 using the letter "A" for a spaceship and an Asterisk "*" for a star and being enthralled by it.
If you want to deride Elite as "Just space truckers", then almost every game you have played falls into the same trap. try these for size.
Little big planet ... it's just a platformer...
Medal of honour (or any FPS) ... it's just a target shooting game like the ones in arcades in the 1960's done with wires springs and mechanical relays.
Warcraft ... Dungeons and Dragons pen and paper game on steroids.
Grand theft auto ... Just an adventure game like Zork with graphics.
...ET cetera. What it's "just like" is not the issue. Humans categorise things thats how we survive. We also don't come up with disassociated ideas, so something will always be 'like' something else.