Help: Six Days on the Road (Green & Montgomery)

Subject: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: GUEST,Murray MacLeod
Date: 24 Sep 00 - 12:04 PM

One of the lines in this classic sountry song reads
"I've just passed a Jimmy and a White"
Now, I know what a Jimmy is, having passed plenty of them myself on the freeway (For Brits, it's like the American equivalent of a Land Rover Discovery ) . But, I have no idea what a "White" may be. Any information?
Also, can any mechanically inclined Mudcatter tell me what a "Georgia overdrive" might be? Some sort of retrofit option for speedcrazy truckers?

Thanks in advance

Murray

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: Dave Swan
Date: 24 Sep 00 - 12:23 PM

Long before General Motors used the name "Jimmy" for their SUV, it was taken to mean the GMC tractor which pulled semi-trailers over the road. White was another maker of tractors. White cabs had characteristic lines which made them stand out on the roadway. A White cabover wouldn't be mistaken for anything else.

Don't know about Georgia overdrive, but out here in California, High Sierra Overdrive means throwing the transmission into neutral and coasting (often hell bent) downhill. No doubt Spaw will have an answer for Georgia overdrive.

Dave

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: Midchuck
Date: 24 Sep 00 - 12:26 PM

Cross-reference: Townes Van Zandt's White Freightliner Blues.

Peter

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: gillymor
Date: 24 Sep 00 - 01:12 PM

I used to drive semis and some of my less PC oriented colleagues use to refer to the maneuver that Dave mentioned above as Mexican overdrive ( a stereotype that is about as false as they get). Incidentally, that is a great song, IMO, no matter where you're coming from.

Dave

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: catspaw49
Date: 24 Sep 00 - 01:30 PM

I think you have gotten the other stuff from El Swanno......GMC semis are called Jimmies, White is another brand, their main model being the Freightliner. Other brands have assorted other nicknames like K-Whopper for Kenworth or Petes for Peterbilt or Cornbinders for International.

Georgia Overdrive refers to throwing the tranny in neutral when you're going downhill. This will often allow a rig to go faster than it would through the normal gearing.......Its also dangerous as hell. Steep downhills require lower gearing to ease usage on the brakes. A lot of runaway and crash situations have happened because of brake failure. If you can't get the sucker back in gear, consider bending over in that air-ride and kissin' your ass goodbye.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: GUEST,Murray MacLeod
Date: 24 Sep 00 - 02:10 PM

Thanks to all for the info. i should have realised that the song is a lot older than the SUV.

Spaw, I now wonder why Georgia should be so maligned. Are truckers from Georgia reputedly more reckless than those from any other State? I am brought to mind of my apprenticeship days in Edinburgh, when a hammer would sometimes be referred to as a "Glasgow screwdriver".

Murray

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 24 Sep 00 - 10:51 PM

I would guess the writer used Georgia because it has the hills. Kansas Overdrive would probably mean throwing your rig in neutral and slowly coasting to a halt.

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: MarkS
Date: 25 Sep 00 - 10:43 PM

For some reason the Georgia overdrive practice was known in the Northeast as "English High"

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: catspaw49
Date: 25 Sep 00 - 10:53 PM

We called it British Overdrive because so many English sports cars were classically kinda' slow compared to American iron.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: GUEST,Howard Eberly
Date: 25 Sep 00 - 11:04 PM

Back in the Citizen Band radio days I heard it called "George" overdrive. The "G" being for "gravity". When you were going downhill, gravity was providing the extra horsepower. As one reader posted, a lot of those rigs ended up in the woods. Nothing beats the excitement of looking in the rear view mirror of your car and seeing nothing but the teeth of a Kenworth grill. Hey Arlo, I should have taken the train!

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: Mbo
Date: 25 Sep 00 - 11:20 PM

Spaw, I'm puzzled by your definition of Georgia overdrive. My dad (a diesel mechanic) says that Georgia Overdrive is when you put a clamp on the fuel line, thus allowing less fuel into the engine. I think he said it's also illegal.

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: Troll
Date: 26 Sep 00 - 12:38 AM

Georgia Overdrive is tranny in neutral and let gravity have its way.
Why Georgia?
Because Georgia was (is) considered poor and unsophisticated and unlikely to have such advanced things a "overdrive" on their vehicles.In the same way, a piece of cardboard over the radiator in the winter is called a Georgia Thermostat.
Spaw is quite correct; it is a very dangerous and stupid manouver with a big rig and is equally dumb with a smaller vehicle.
Except SUV's. They can do it all they want to.Heh,heh,heh.

troll

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: catspaw49
Date: 26 Sep 00 - 12:47 AM

Hmmm.....If your Dad's oil burner wrench, then I don't think you gave him the right info Meebo. "Castrating" a fuel system reduces the power (reducing fuel flow either by the fuel pump of injection se-up).

Spaw

Subject: RE: Query: 6 Days on the Road
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 26 Sep 00 - 01:10 AM

You guys crack me up.You say coasting downhill in neutral is unsafe?What the hell do you expect out of a guy who says "I'm poppin' little white pills and my eyes are open wide"?

Most truckers have plenty of stories about close calls,or flat-out screw-ups. I knew a guy who was doing 80 in his tractor/trailer when the combination of uppers,coffee,and highway hypnosis caused him to mistake a toll plaza for lights on a vehicle in front of him.By the time he realized his mistake he was about 150 feet from the plaza.He hit the brake and felt the rig go into a jack-knife.Out of the corner of his eye,he saw several booth attendants bailing out and running for the shoulder of the road.At the last second,he got it straightened out,roaring through the toll passway at full speed.Woke him,and the toll attendants, up.

"I got a flame from the stack,and the smoke rollin' black as coal"

Subject: Lyr Add: SIX DAYS ON THE ROAD
From: GUEST,Gene
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 01:22 PM

Six Days On The Road
Recorded by: Dave Dudley
Written by: Earl Green & Carl Montgomery

Well, I pulled out of Pittsburgh
A-rollin' down that Eastern seaboard
I got my diesel wound up
And she's a-runnin' like-a never before
There's a speed zone ahead, alright
I don't see a cop in sight
Six days on the road
And I'm a-gonna make it home tonight

I got me ten forward gears
And a Georgia Overdrive
I'm takin' little white pills
And my eyes are open wide
I just passed a Jimmy and a White
I been a-passin' ever'thing in sight
Six days on the road
And I'm a-gonna make it home tonight

Well, it seems like a month
Since I kissed my baby goodbye
I could have a lotta women
But I'm not a-like a-some of the guys
I could find one to hold me tight
But I could never make believe it's alright
Six days on the road
And I'm a-gonna make it home tonight

I.C.C. is a-checkin'
On down the line
Well, I'm a little overweight
And my log book's a-way behind
But nothin' bothers me tonight
I can dodge all the scales alright
Six days on the road
And I'm a-gonna make it home tonight

Well, my rigs a little old
But that don't mean she's slow
There's a flame from her stack
And that smokes' a-blowin' black as coal
My home town's a-coming in sight
If you think I'm happy, you're right
Six days on the road
And I'm gonna make it home tonight

TAG:
Six days on the road
And I'm a-gonna make it home tonight
Six days on the road
And I'm a-gonna make it home to-night-ight

SOURCE:
TIME LIFE CLASSIC COUNTRY

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: SIX DAYS ON THE ROAD
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 04:29 PM

It might be interesting to note that Battlefield Band covered this classic song not too far back.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: SIX DAYS ON THE ROAD
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 04:34 AM

I thought Taj Mahal was a co-writer of this one. Pretty sure he was credited on his Box.