Who picks up the hitchhiker?
Cooper and Durazno knock out a truck driver and steal his rig. They take it back to a shop where it is repainted and the numbers are filed. In it they find a truckload of carburetors. Cooper abandons Durazno at a gas station and sets out as an independent driver of the yellow Peterbilt.
He picks up a hitchhiker but refuses to also give a ride to the man's accompanying woman and dog. At a diner the two notice the Duke of Interstate 40 (Hector Elizondo) eating at another table. Cooper asks him about his rig, which annoys the Duke. Cooper and the hitchhiker watch Samson and Delilah at a drive-in as Cooper discusses professions he's considered as a means to make money and how he reads the almanac so that he can be learning and earning money at the same time.
Cooper visits a shopkeeper and attempts to earn money by either selling some of the stolen carburetors or hustling work as an independent hauler but is turned down because the shopkeeper works with the wholesalers. The hitchhiker finds several prospective customers in the meantime and they pack the already-full truck with tiles and live chickens to be hauled, 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 get the officer to let him go quickly without checking the contents of the truck. During the night Cooper takes Benzedrine to stay awake while driving.
Cooper