Why would driving his 18-wheeler early in the morning be the best time for a truck driver like Daryl?

"Daryl skidded to a halt in front of the lump." Define or give a synonym for the word, "halt".

"...this time, Daryl’s instinct had told him to stop. Now that he was closer he could see that he had been right to trust his instinct. This lump was a person." Define the word, "instinct".

' “What’s your name?” Daryl asked. The girl looked at him, mute.' Define the word, "mute".

"You couldn't stop for every animal on the highway, not if you were going to earn a living and get your goods to their destination on time." Define the word "destination".

"Now he could see that it was a girl. Her collarbones jutted out and her skin was so pale that you could trace the blue veins under her skin." Define "jutted". Why would her collar bones "jut" out?

"She couldn’t remember the past few days, but it seemed that she had collapsed on the highway from hunger early in the morning, before Daryl found her." Why do you think the girl was hungry and alone along the highway?

The girl had collapsed on the highway and the bridge that Daryl drives over collapsed. Define the word "collapsed".

"Daryl hopped out of is truck and cautiously approached [the lump in the road]." Define both "cautiously" and "approached".

"Driving several thousand miles each month took a toll on your body" What does "took a toll" mean?

"When Daryl met up with other truck drivers, the conversation quickly devolved into a list of back aches and health problems". Define "devolved". Why would truck drivers have back aches?

At the end of the passage, it says, "From that day on, Daryl would always trust his instincts." Explain why.