I’m contemplating changing jobs to a 4 on 4 off shift pattern. I can see the attraction in terms of time off (considerably more) but there is a financial hit (around 20%), also by my calculations I’ll be losing most weekends. Can anyone working this shift pattern tell me if they think it’s worth the compromises over the traditional Mon-Fri?
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I work 4/4 and it’s best thing I ever did
Yes you work weekends but once you get used to your shift pattern you automatically adjust to having these as work days.
I get loads done on my off days, much more than I ever did working M-F
As for financial- I make it up by doing a couple of days extra at end of each shift block when it suits me . At my place plenty of OT opportunities so it’s easy to get the days in
Personally I love 4/4 and so does wife, I got offered a M-F that’s nearer home but got told I can’t do it as she’s too fond of my 4/4 hours [emoji38]
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Assuming both methods are based on a 48 hour working week, the pay ought to be on a par with mon-fri, if the 4/4 is less i would not expect any more than 1 day’s overtime a month to bring the wages to parity.
I’ve done 4/4 in the past, loved it, i work a different pattern now which is near enough between the two which suits me and my family, i would not want to return to a normal 5 day week again in my working life.
I like working the weekends, nice to be out with so few other lorries, if you are on early starts the roads are comparatively empty, ok it gets a bit bust around shopping areas from 10am onwards, but no worse than the peak periods we encounter every weekday.
These days so many behind the wheel of lorries are incompetents who haven’t a moment to live, glad to be away from them and their tailgating/pushing/bullying of other road users for a couple of days.
Obviously much depends on how it fits in with other things in your life, if your partner works a normal week then that could knock some shine off, but if it fits in with your home life then i would recommend anyone to go for a similar to 4/4 arrangement if they can.
Juddian:
Assuming both methods are based on a 48 hour working week, the pay ought to be on a par with mon-fri, if the 4/4 is less i would not expect any more than 1 day’s overtime a month to bring the wages to parity.
I agree, I should have said that in my previous post, I get paid same as M-F day drivers.
I meant that on a 4/4 it’s far easier to make up any financial shortage if that’s how your company pays different.
If a M-F need extra shifts they only have a Sat or Sunday to go at, I have much more options on what days I want to do extra and it’s never a Fri,Sat, Sun or a Monday yet I can easily do an extra 5 or 6 days a month if I wanted to and still feel I’ve had decent rest of 3 or 2 days.
I depends on how you feel it’s going to fit into your home life . It suited me perfectly and wouldn’t want it any other way
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I worked shifts in a warehouse years ago mostly days off in the week. And preferred it as can go shops get more done as everyone is working.
unlike weekends where everyware is busy or shut on a Sunday…
But what worry me i was to go on 4 on 4 off.
And my days off were min to thur. Obviously if only be working 3 days that week. So be 3 days pay. Then week after be working 3 days again .
As be working the mon off next working sat then sunday…so 3 days again.
So be another 3 days pay.
Or do you get extra for working weekends
I would like to do four on four off, in fact nights out and long hours would be ideal, there would be no need to work a rest day at all then, for example, three 14s and a 12,get all the work crammed into the four days
edd1974:
I worked shifts in a warehouse years ago mostly days off in the week. And preferred it as can go shops get more done as everyone is working.
unlike weekends where everyware is busy or shut on a Sunday…
But what worry me i was to go on 4 on 4 off.
And my days off were min to thur. Obviously if only be working 3 days that week. So be 3 days pay. Then week after be working 3 days again .
As be working the mon off next working sat then sunday…so 3 days again.
So be another 3 days pay.
Or do you get extra for working weekends
When I did it everything was added up (including enhanced rates for weekend etc) and averaged out so you got the same each week.
Arn’t most 4/4 type shifts paid salary these days? usually monthly, taking out the short week situation.
Not as salary is an ideal where the company is a ■■■■ taker, but on proper jobs most drivers do not reach their required hours when averaged out and are not required to pay them back.
I work 4/4 wouldn’t change it for anything suits my life and it as juddian says its great when you on weekends and starting at 2am like I do no other traffic to worry about. My only gripe is I get paid weekly so business can be slow on Bank Holidays so like the last 2 I only got 3/3. As others state once you get used to the shift pattern it’s a doddle.
Sploom:
I would like to do four on four off, in fact nights out and long hours would be ideal, there would be no need to work a rest day at all then, for example, three 14s and a 12,get all the work crammed into the four days
Doing those hours on 4 ON 4 OFF still means you are only doing 47.25 hrs a week.
Juddian:
Arn’t most 4/4 type shifts paid salary these days? usually monthly, taking out the short week situation.
Not as salary is an ideal where the company is a ■■■■ taker, but on proper jobs most drivers do not reach their required hours when averaged out and are not required to pay them back.
I’m 4on 4off and I’m salaried but paid weekly, (or should that be weakly lol), ours is the same pay as mon to fri drivers except that my wage is averaged out over the year so it seems lower but I always get the same pay whether I work a 3 day calendar week or a 4 day calendar week.
Any additional shifts are paid at the normal (non averaged rate)
If I translated my pay into actual hours worked pay then you’d really see what a good crack I’m on and why you never see me complain about my job. 
Edit:
Forgot to add that I also get an extra 8 days holiday a year over the mon to fri drivers to make up for the bank holidays at normal rate whether my shift pattern falls on them or not.
I do 6 on 2 off… your rest days falling on saturday to sunday is after every 6 weeks i think… suits my lifestyle 
Reef:
Juddian:
If I translated my pay into actual hours worked pay then you’d really see what a good crack I’m on and why you never see me complain about my job.
Edit:
Forgot to add that I also get an extra 8 days holiday a year over the mon to fri drivers to make up for the bank holidays at normal rate whether my shift pattern falls on them or not.
This is why i try my best to bang into others the importance of working out your mean average hourly rate, ie divide top line by hours actually worked to achieve.
I worked “4 on 4 off” for a solid six years. Sure you only work for 50% of the year, but the constant weekend work (4 weekends out of 8 you’d be doing at least one weekend workday) grinds you down, plus the fact that it was one flat rate of pay regardless of whether you were working Monday to Thursday or the entire Friday to Monday Easter Weekend, which of course encompasses two bank holidays. Also I never got any extra holidays, just the company’s standard 20 days per year.