I might have the chice of two,4 on 4 off jobs,
one is 4 on 4 off days 7am till 7 pm shunting
the other is 4 on 4 off fridge work tramping,with 3 nights out,so some weeks i would be away fri, sat, and sun night.
Job one is £18k
job 2 is £21k with £2,800 in night out money on top,
difficult choice for me,as one is home life,one is more money
any input would be good
regards
tonyb
Depends what is more important to you.
Home life, or money?
There are probably other things to consider too. Go and have interview with both and see how the land lies. You may get a better feel for one company than the other.
Best of luck
The money isn’t good enough for either, considering you’ll be working the majority of weekends.
Should be £26k minumum for day shunter, and £28k min for night tramper…plus subsistence…£30k for both would be about right.
We all have to take jobs we don’t want as temp till something decent comes up, thats only reason i’d be tempted, working those shifts will give you plenty of weekday spare time to find a properly paid job.
tonyb70:
difficult choice for me,as one is home life,one is more money
I guess first you have to ask yourself if you actually NEED (rather than want) the extra money, as it is approaching another 100quid a week in your pocket so it is significant and if you can’t pay your bills and buy food without it then that would be a big factor. If you can live comfortably on an 18k salary then, especially if you have kids at home, then shunting might be the way to go.
On the other hand, 3 nights out then 5 nights at home is still not too bad as far as home life is concerned, it’s certainly nothing like having 4 (or 5) nights out and then only 3 (or 2) at home. Sure it will mean you are away all weekend some weeks but conversely on others you will be home for the weekend plus a day either side making weekends away with the family easy.
Paul
Do the tramping job you’ll still have 4 days and 5 nights at home, plus quite a bit more money in you’re back pocket.
Juddian:
The money isn’t good enough for either, considering you’ll be working the majority of weekends.Should be £26k minumum for day shunter, and £28k min for night tramper…plus subsistence…£30k for both would be about right.
We all have to take jobs we don’t want as temp till something decent comes up, thats only reason i’d be tempted, working those shifts will give you plenty of weekday spare time to find a properly paid job.
This.
Is job 2 a 21k basic + O/T + Night out money, or 21k salaried + night out money. If it’s the latter, I’d probably do the shunting, although I think that job would get boring FAST
Juddian:
The money isn’t good enough for either, considering you’ll be working the majority of weekends.Should be £26k minumum for day shunter, and £28k min for night tramper…plus subsistence…£30k for both would be about right.
Meanwhile, back in the real world…
Bear in mind that on a 4on/4off job you are working 182 days each year compared to 260 days on a normal 5on/2off job. So £21k is £115/shift, giving an equivalent salary of nearly £30k if you worked 5on/2off at the same rate. Plus night out money. Now that doesn’t seem too bad to me.
If you got the £28k you want as a tramper that would be almost £154/shift which would be equivalent to 40k/year on a 5on/2off job! Quite ridiculous.
Paul
repton:
Juddian:
The money isn’t good enough for either, considering you’ll be working the majority of weekends.Should be £26k minumum for day shunter, and £28k min for night tramper…plus subsistence…£30k for both would be about right.
Meanwhile, back in the real world…
Bear in mind that on a 4on/4off job you are working 182 days each year compared to 260 days on a normal 5on/2off job. So £21k is £115/shift, giving an equivalent salary of nearly £30k if you worked 5on/2off at the same rate. Plus night out money. Now that doesn’t seem too bad to me.
If you got the £28k you want as a tramper that would be almost £154/shift which would be equivalent to 40k/year on a 5on/2off job! Quite ridiculous.
Paul
And thats why the job pays rubbish.
You forget that in an eight week rotation a 4 on 4 off driver works 5 continuous weeks where at least one of the days is a weekend, and three weekends when he works both weekend days.
Well organised unions of drivers fought for years to get correct rates for weekend and overtime working, dark pay, average holiday pay etc, we owe it to them to not fall in the trap of working weekends and nights for basic weekday pay.
I am in the real world, i would only work for those rates as a stop gap, and use the time off to find a proper job.
Can’t put a price on home life guys…
The job 2 is 21k salary.thanks for the varied replies.keep them coming.
Juddian:
repton:
Juddian:
The money isn’t good enough for either, considering you’ll be working the majority of weekends.Should be £26k minumum for day shunter, and £28k min for night tramper…plus subsistence…£30k for both would be about right.
Meanwhile, back in the real world…
Bear in mind that on a 4on/4off job you are working 182 days each year compared to 260 days on a normal 5on/2off job. So £21k is £115/shift, giving an equivalent salary of nearly £30k if you worked 5on/2off at the same rate. Plus night out money. Now that doesn’t seem too bad to me.
If you got the £28k you want as a tramper that would be almost £154/shift which would be equivalent to 40k/year on a 5on/2off job! Quite ridiculous.
Paul
And thats why the job pays rubbish.
You forget that in an eight week rotation a 4 on 4 off driver works 5 continuous weeks where at least one of the days is a weekend, and three weekends when he works both weekend days.
Well organised unions of drivers fought for years to get correct rates for weekend and overtime working, dark pay, average holiday pay etc, we owe it to them to not fall in the trap of working weekends and nights for basic weekday pay.
I am in the real world, i would only work for those rates as a stop gap, and use the time off to find a proper job.
Agreed, 100%. 21k would be ok for 4 on 3 off with no weekend work, but 4 on 4 off salaried, so you could do FRI, SAT, SUN 15hr days and a 13hr on Mon for 21k?? No thanks.
And, with most jobs I’ve found, your hardest day is usually your last day, so more likely Thu 15hr, fri 13hr, sat 15hr and sun 15hr, for 400 quid ish top line (plus night out money). That’s ■■■■■ mate, no matter how you look at it.
I’m afraid i havn’t got much choice with either
I have been made redundant from a very well paid mon to friday 6-2 2-10 shunting job,but because the company is penny pinching,my sevices are no longer required 
Although i have been offered a driving job with the same company for £23,500 any 5 from 7 anualized hours,of 53 average per week,with no extra for weekend or bank holiday working.
And every few weeks, a week shunting,oh by the way,is the job that i have been made redundant off,
but the drivers are expected to do it on a rota…
tonyb70:
I’m afraid i havn’t got much choice with eitherI have been made redundant from a very well paid mon to friday 6-2 2-10 shunting job,but because the company is penny pinching,my sevices are no longer required
Although i have been offered a driving job with the same company for £23,500 any 5 from 7 anualized hours,of 53 average per week,with no extra for weekend or bank holiday working.And every few weeks, a week shunting,oh by the way,is the job that i have been made redundant off,
but the drivers are expected to do it on a rota…
Sound’s like a Bibby Distribution job?? 
washy jnr:
tonyb70:
I’m afraid i havn’t got much choice with eitherI have been made redundant from a very well paid mon to friday 6-2 2-10 shunting job,but because the company is penny pinching,my sevices are no longer required
Although i have been offered a driving job with the same company for £23,500 any 5 from 7 anualized hours,of 53 average per week,with no extra for weekend or bank holiday working.And every few weeks, a week shunting,oh by the way,is the job that i have been made redundant off,
but the drivers are expected to do it on a rota…Sound’s like a Bibby Distribution job??
has news of my place travellled that far then?
theres plenty of jobs going if anyone is intrested,
8 drivers have left in the last few months,
Juddian:
Well organised unions of drivers fought for years to get correct rates for weekend and overtime working, dark pay, average holiday pay etc, we owe it to them to not fall in the trap of working weekends and nights for basic weekday pay.
It’s not a trap, it’s simply the way of the world. There used to be a time when society worked Monday to Friday and everything shut down on a weekend (with a few working Saturday mornings). At that time anything other than that was unusual and quite rightly deserved extra money.
That world is fast becoming a thing of the past, today we live in a 24/7 society where the difference between weekday and weekend is far more blurred. As time goes by more and more employers, both in the world of driving and every other industry too, are either reducing or eliminating the extra payments for weekend work. This is an inevitable factor of modern life and trying to fight against it is pointless, IMO it won’t be long before extra pay on a weekend is the exception rather than the norm.
Juddian:
I am in the real world, i would only work for those rates as a stop gap, and use the time off to find a proper job.
In the real world the employer holds all the cards. There are far more drivers than there are jobs. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that…
Paul
waynedl:
Agreed, 100%. 21k would be ok for 4 on 3 off with no weekend work, but 4 on 4 off salaried, so you could do FRI, SAT, SUN 15hr days and a 13hr on Mon for 21k?? No thanks.
I would take the 4 on 4 off over 4 on 3 off any time if the money was the same. It’s a choice between 182 or 208 days work each year for the same money and I would take the extra 26 days sat on my arse at home without a moments hesitation.
Paul
repton:
waynedl:
Agreed, 100%. 21k would be ok for 4 on 3 off with no weekend work, but 4 on 4 off salaried, so you could do FRI, SAT, SUN 15hr days and a 13hr on Mon for 21k?? No thanks.I would take the 4 on 4 off over 4 on 3 off any time if the money was the same. It’s a choice between 182 or 208 days work each year for the same money and I would take the extra 26 days sat on my arse at home without a moments hesitation.
Paul
I’d take the weekends, at least then I know I’m going to see my partner on her time off.
Work to live and all that 
If you need the extra money go for the second job. For every weekend you work on four on four off you get another week where you are off for it. Also depending on distance from home would you get quality home time doing the 7-7? I do 6-6 four on four off and with an hour commute each way am knackered by time Im home. I may as well be away for the use I am.
tonyb70:
Although i have been offered a driving job with the same company for £23,500 any 5 from 7 anualized hours,of 53 average per week,with no extra for weekend or bank holiday working.
This only goes to back up my previous post - extra for weekend working is fast becoming a thing of the past. That job is only paying about £94 per shift which makes the 21k for 4 on 4 off that works out at £20 more per shift look pretty good, especially as that job being “any 5 from 7” could see you working every single weekend…
Paul
tonyb70:
washy jnr:
tonyb70:
I’m afraid i havn’t got much choice with eitherI have been made redundant from a very well paid mon to friday 6-2 2-10 shunting job,but because the company is penny pinching,my sevices are no longer required
Although i have been offered a driving job with the same company for £23,500 any 5 from 7 anualized hours,of 53 average per week,with no extra for weekend or bank holiday working.And every few weeks, a week shunting,oh by the way,is the job that i have been made redundant off,
but the drivers are expected to do it on a rota…Sound’s like a Bibby Distribution job??
has news of my place travellled that far then?
theres plenty of jobs going if anyone is intrested,
8 drivers have left in the last few months,
No mate…I was on for Bibby on the Budweiser contract,exactly the same annualized hours,etc