Deadhead Miles

Cooper and Durazno knock out a truck driver and steal his rig. They drive it back to an auto shop where it is repainted and its numbers are filed. Inside the truck they discover a load of carburetors.

Cooper abandons Durazno at a gas station and goes solo as an independent driver of the yellow Peterbilt. He sets out to run the highway on his own, leaving his partner behind.

Cooper picks up a hitchhiker but refuses to give a ride to the man's accompanying woman and dog. At a diner they spot the Duke of Interstate 40 eating at another table, and Cooper's inquiry about the Duke's rig irritates him.

At a drive-in they watch Samson and Delilah, and Cooper discusses possible money making schemes. He also talks about reading the almanac to learn and earn at the same time.

They visit a shopkeeper to sell stolen carburetors or hustle work as independent haulers, but the shopkeeper declines since he deals with wholesalers. The hitchhiker finds prospective customers and they pack the truck with tiles and live chickens, stealing food and supplies from other trucks.

They visit the place where Cooper says his wife lives, but she is not there. They are pulled over by a policeman, and Cooper lies that he recently returned from the war to avoid a search, which earns him a quick release.

During the night, Cooper takes Benzedrine to stay awake while driving. The stimulant helps him push through fatigue as he continues the haul.

The next day they are stopped again; the logbook is not up to date and the plates do not match, and the trailer is overweight. In exchange for not charging him, the police force him to leave four tons of goods on the shoulder. Cooper dumps some items, but the hitchhiker fails to secure the door and most of the tiles and live chickens spill onto the highway.

Johnny Mesquitero appears and offers to fix the truck, promising to repair it if they do not push it too hard. He patches the piston seals and tells the hitchhiker to take 10 pounds of pressure out of the tires to prevent a jackknife. Cooper later claims that Johnny died six years earlier in a jackknife accident.

They stop at a cafe where Cooper's friend, the cook, warns that the police have been looking for him. That night Cooper steals the plates and papers from another truck to disguise his.

They pass a weighbridge by convincing police that a drunken hunter is shooting on the hill; two officers leave to investigate. Cooper knocks out the remaining officer with a glass bottle so that they can continue driving.

The road is closed for construction but Cooper insists that they can still use one of the lanes. They stop at a racetrack where the hitchhiker asks Cooper for money, and Cooper refuses to share.

The hitchhiker points a flare gun at Cooper and demands the goods. Cooper climbs into the back and knocks him out, locking him in. On the fourth night without sleep, Cooper nods off behind the wheel and drifts into the oncoming lane, forcing a car off the road.

Cooper arrives at a barn, unhooks and unlocks the trailer. The hitchhiker chases him, but Cooper drives off and leaves him. He then tries to sell the tractor for $200, but the buyer refuses, so he continues his journey as a hitchhiker.