Average hours?

On day or night shifts you could do 50 hours a week. I would say most likely a couple of hours more in a 5-day week. 4-on-4-off 12 hour shifts would be the best bet getting 48 hours per week. Tramping I would say very unlikely. As a hourly paid tramper I was doing around 65 hours, and as a tramper on a day rate more like 55 to 60 hours.

A few of the lads who were good at manipulating and dragging-out their jobs could get between 45 and 50 hours on days. If you got back to the yard after 9 hours, the firm wouldn’t load you up and send you out again. So drag your deliveries out until 9 hours has gone, then back to the yard and home time.

I remember the Stobart driver trainer in the induction saying that it’s “assumed” trampers prefer to be driving and earning, rather than being parked-up for the night. So the planners inherently try to max-out their trampers’ hours. Three 15 hour days and two 13s, and an extra shift every month. In general, trampers will work some serious hours.