They Drive by Night

- How's it going, Joe? - Okay. Fill her up.

- What are you hauling? - Apples.

- How's your brother Paul? - Asleep.

Seems like every time you come in here

he's asleep and you're driving.

What is he, a growing boy?

He drives as much as I do. You run your station

we'll take care of our rig.

Okay. I was just wondering.

This is the nearest thing I had to a bath in two weeks.

Yeah, I noticed.

Seventy gallons of gas, three quarts

of oil in your crankcase..

I'll have to get you on the way back, Pete.

Five quarts in your spare can.. What'd you say?

I won't be able to pay you until I get rid of this load.

Why didn't you say that before?

If I did, you wouldn't have given me the gas.

I'll say I wouldn't. I've got a notion

to siphon it out of there.

You know I ain't selling gas on time.

Oh, relax. I wouldn't gyp you. I'm honest.

I know you are. All you truckers are honest

but you're always broke.

The first thing I know the finance company comes along

and grabs your truck and you're out of business

and I never see my dough.

Don't worry about me and the installment man.

- He's got to catch me first. - That won't be tough.

You ain't driving any speedway special. Sign it. $12.90.

Ah, don't overflow your tank.

On the cuff. On the cuff. How do you like that?

You'll get it on the trip back.

You didn't pay for this pop.

Put it on the bill.

- Where are we? - Not far from Lansdale.

- You should have woke me up. - It's okay.

We'll grab a cup of coffee at Barney's.

Then you can wheel it into Los Angeles.

How's about laying over at my house for a couple of days?

I'm knocked out.

Oh, boy, I'd like to stay in bed for a week

not even get up to eat.

So would I.

But that ain't the way we get ahead.

But I got to think of Pearl. I ain't been home for two weeks.

She might as well be married to an explorer.

Look out, Joe!

Hey, you dirty son of a road hog!

You should've smacked into him.

What is that gonna get us?

Oh, what do we do now?

You park here and watch the load. I'm gonna hop up

to Barney's cafe and telephone Williams

and see if he can send some of the dough he owes us.

Thanks.

- Hiya, Harry. - Hello, Joe.

Where's your rig?

Down the road. Busted wheel.

Oh, tough going. Can I help?

Thanks. I'm going to phone Williams

to send me some of the dough he owes me.

I hope you get it.

I quit hauling for that crook.

He ran me ragged, and I hardly ever got paid.

He'll pay me now, alright

or he won't get his apples in L.A. on time.

Oh, well, if you got him over a barrel, that's different.

- Maybe you'll get it. - Come on. We go.

Yeah, he's right. Can't make no dough drinking coffee.

- Good luck, guy. Thanks. - Same to you.

Oh, Harry! Write your wife.

I hear she's worried.

'Okay, I will. Thanks."

- Hello, Joe. Good. - Hello, Jake. How's it going?

Give me a Frisco phone book, will you?

Yeah. Be sure you bring back all the pages too.

So as I'm telling, you see

here I am with these two beautiful dames.

Boy, what equipment. Anyway, they're hanging around

my neck and they're begging me not to go, see.

I tell them, I says, "look, sisters I got a job to do."

So I push them away and leave. I mean, after all

a guy like me with hundreds of dames. Heh-ho.

I'm getting out of here. Come on, Shorty.

It's too deep for me.

I'm losing my touch.

Give me some nickels, Barney.

Joe! Where you been, guy? Been getting any good hauls?

Some. How they been rolling for you, Irish?

I still get my check every Saturday.

Yeah, but you get ordered around every other day.

- That ain't for me. - Hey, Red, this steak's tough.

Well, you can't send it back now. You've bent it.

'I'll be back this way tonight, Red.'

Thanks for the warning.

Ah, give me the phone, will you?

What do you do, keep it in a vault?

- Don't call New York. - Another cup of java.

- You must like our coffee. - It stinks.

I notice you're drinking your seventh cup.

I like your sugar. Say, why don't you

and your brother quit wildcat trucking?

With a legitimate company, this is a pretty swell job.

Why don't you get smart like me and go to work for Ed Carlsen?

- Give me long distance. - Hey!

Relax. I'm reversing the charges.

There's only one guy I'd sooner go to work for than Ed Carlsen.

- Who? - Me.

You ain't working for you.

You're working for the finance company.

As soon as your truck's paid for you'll have to get another one.

Hello. I want to talk to Mike Williams.

Standard 72961, San Francisco.

Reverse the charges.

Joe Fabrini calling.

Don't worry about me.

Someday you road skinners will all be saying

"Joe Fabrini's a good guy to work for," and I will be.

No doubt about that, kid, but me, I'll take the salary

and let someone else have the worry.

Oh, that's the easy way.

Give me a cup of coffee.

- Anything else? - Yeah.

What else you got that ain't poisonous?

I don't know. I never eat here.

How about taking my order, Red?

How about taking your time?

Nice new fixture, Barney.

Yeah. She'll do.

Not a bad thing to know.

Nice chassis, huh, Joe?

Classy chassis.

Yes, and it's all mine, too.

I don't owe any payments on it.

I'll be glad to finance it, baby.

Who do you think you're kidding?

You couldn't even pay for the headlights.

What?! He won't accept the call?

Wait a minute.

- Hey, Irish. - 'Huh?'

Lend me a buck, will you? I want to pay for this phone call.

Get a load of the big trucking operator.

I still vote for a salary.

Okay. I'll pay for it at this end.

Uh, this is, 2-2-1-2.

Anything else?

Yeah, but it ain't on the menu.

And it ain't gonna be. You better settle for a hamburger.

Okay. With onions.

Hello. Mike Williams?

What's the idea of ducking my phone call?

I never take collect calls.

Where are you?

Barney's Cafe..

North of Lansdale...on 99.

You got a busted wheel?

Now look, Fabrini, those apples have got to be delivered

to the market tonight. That ain't wood you're hauling.

Okay, I'll get the apples in

but send me some of that 300 bucks you owe me

so I can get a new wheel.

Yeah, wire it to me right here.

Well, I ain't got much cash right now, Joe.

Alright, alright. Don't get excited.

I'll see what I can do.

Who do those Fabrini guys think they are, anyhow?

I've thrown more business their way than any other

freight agent in town, and I ain't gonna send them any money.

But the apples won't get into L.A. tonight.

They will if somebody else hauls 'em.

Who's up there near Lansdale?

Hank Dawson. He's due in there with a load of beer

and we don't owe him much money.

Why, you get him on the phone and tell him

to pick up Fabrinis' load.

Those Fabrinis are tough babies. They're liable to

part your hair with a monkey wrench.

They only think they're tough.

Say, is Farnsworth still outside?

He was a minute ago.

Tell that loan shark I want to see him.

But you fellas don't understand.

Everything I do is absolutely within the law.

And all I can say is we need an awful lot of new laws.

Hey, Farnsworth. The boss wants to talk to you.

- Excuse me, gentlemen. - Bye-bye, buzzard.

What's the matter with the man?

Tell me, Farnsworth, do the Fabrini boys

owe you any dough on that truck?

I've been trying to catch up with them

for a couple of months, they're behind

three payments, plus my interest.

Yeah. I know all about your interest.

Would you like to nail them and repossess the truck?

- Yeah, certainly. - Why, here's your chance.

They're stuck with a busted wheel

near Barney's Cafe on 99.

Go get a tow car and haul in the rig.

Thanks. I'll do you a favor sometime.