Convoy

In the Arizona desert, Rubber Duck is passed by a woman in a Jaguar XK-E, which kicks off a tense cat-and-mouse dynamic with his rivals. A trucker over the CB relays a tip that they should speed up, which turns out to be Sheriff Dirty Lyle Wallace extorting them for cash. This opening sets up the long-running feud that drives the convoy forward.

Duck stops at Rafael's Glide-In where Violet works and Melissa has just arrived after her Jaguar troubles. He offers Melissa a ride, and Violet hands him a special birthday present before Wallace arrives to check plates. A confrontation over vagrancy erupts when Spider Mike is targeted, and the Duck intervenes, sparking a diner-wide showdown.

Wallace attempts to arrest Spider Mike for vagrancy, but Rubber Duck steps in and Mike punches Wallace, escalating into a brawl. Troopers arrive to back Wallace, but the truckers stand their ground and prevail. They decide to head for the state line, sabotaging police cars as they go.

Duck pushes Wallace off the main road, causing a crash that fuels the convoy's escape. He then leads the trucks onto a rough desert trail, prompting more police cars to collide and be left behind. Wallace's vehicle is crushed between Pig Pen and Spider Mike's rigs as the convoy evades capture.

The Governor of New Mexico, Jerry Haskins, meets Rubber Duck after being briefed that the National Guard could be called in on the convoy. They discuss the political leverage and possible use of state resources to manage the standoff. The meeting signals a shift toward formalized support for the truckers' cause.

Wallace and a brutal Texas sheriff arrest Spider Mike in Alvarez, intending to use him as bait to trap Rubber Duck. A janitor at the jail realizes the trap and starts spreading the truth by CB radio, reporting that Mike has been beaten and is not a threat. Truckers relay the information up and down the network, complicating Wallace's plan.

The janitor's broadcasts reach the wider CB network, alerting other drivers that Spider Mike is being held unjustly. News travels to New Mexico and beyond, galvanizing support for Mike and urging action. Rubber Duck and the convoy decide to reposition toward Texas to mount a rescue.

Following the broadcasts, the truckers rally to rescue Spider Mike and push east toward Texas. The alliance grows as more drivers join, increasing pressure on Wallace and his law enforcement allies. The convoy prepares for a direct confrontation to free Mike.

The convoy reaches a Texas town, where they tear through streets and topple part of the jail before freeing Spider Mike. The daring assault leaves half the town wrecked and restores Mike to safety. Rubber Duck becomes the de facto hero as they press onward.

With authorities closing in, the convoy slows near the U.S.-Mexico border and splits up after a minor traffic incident involving Pig Pen. Wallace and a National Guard unit converge on a bridge to stop the advancing convoy. Tensions rise as gunfire and explosions risk the lives of everyone on the road.

Wallace fires on the convoy as the guardsmen unleash their weaponry, triggering a tanker explosion. Rubber Duck intentionally steers his tractor-trailer off the bridge and into the river, seemingly sacrificing himself to save the others. The crash marks the apparent end of Rubber Duck's journey.

A public funeral is held for Rubber Duck, mourning his presumed death. Melissa discovers him alive in disguise aboard a school bus, hidden among 'long-haired friends of Jesus.' He reveals that he swam free from the wreckage and is back with the convoy.

The convoy continues driving toward the horizon, the coffin in tow as they resume their road war against the authorities. Wallace's laughter from the bus as the convoy passes suggests he's still sure Duck is dead, but the truth lingers in the resolve of the surviving truckers.