If there was one guy that owned the imaginary genre of “trucker music” during the 1960s and 1970s, it was Dave Dudley. His baritone voice spoke right to the diesel jockeys hauling all over the highways and byways of America. His first and best selling foray into truckin’ tunes was this million seller from 1963 called Six Days On The Road which tells the tale of a trucker making his final dash for home after a long trip.

The song rules because of Dudley’s unique and deep rumbling tones along with the fact that there’s some trucker lingo thrown in there for “street cred”. He tells us that his truck has “10 forward gears and a Georgia overdrive”. Georgia overdrive refers to the (we’re pretty sure illegal) practice of kicking the truck into neutral going down long grades to really haul ass and be free of the gearing restrictions many trucks were saddled back when diesels weren’t as powerful as they are today and there weren’t as many legit overdrive gears to use. We also dig when he tells us that he, “Just passed a Jimmy and a White” as he’s heading for home. He references taking amphetamines to stay awake, dodging scales, and other aspects of the old school trucker lifestyle that really struck a chord. Or at least enough of one to earn him a gold record for his efforts!

Press play below to hear the original (and in our opinion best) version of Six Days On The Road by Dave Dudley!