My start time has just changed to half past midnight. I’m not sure if this is the job for me anymore.
Anybody else out there do really weird hours?
When do you sleep?
When do you enjoy life?
Just wondered.
That’s an awful time to start, when i first started where i am now i did do a few starts at about midnight but soon got off it as i just couldn’t get to grips with it especially trying to get a sleep pattern going. Now i start 05.00 ish.
How long have you been driving and is it with an agency?
I did a bit of that, it’s about the worst time to start that there is. Now I start at 7pm and finish anywhere between 3 and 6am. That has its downsides, but not as many as starting at 1230.
I start anywhere between 11-3am depending on how busy the run is.
It’s a job, just get on with it.
My starts vary from 1700 to 2100, finish usually 10-11 hrs later, 9 off start again for 8-10 hrs rinse & repeat, then 4 off. Paid for 12 hrs a shift. Love it.
Thats why theres extra pay for unsocial hours.
Weekday jobs normal hours normally pay the least and always has, its hard graft, danger, required skills, shift patterns, nights, weekend rates and unsocial hour allowances that all add up to put the icing the cake.
tallboy:
My start time has just changed to half past midnight. I’m not sure if this is the job for me anymore.
Anybody else out there do really weird hours?
When do you sleep?
When do you enjoy life?
Just wondered.
Yes midnight /1 am starts.
I normally go up 18/18 30( 4/5 /6) hrs sleep.
It’s caught up on me lately and I just can’t be bothered to do much,I’m just knackered,
My fault as I should go up earlier,but when you get home at 16.30, have a shower,tea ,chat it’s about 18.00.
Best of luck with it,you’ll need it
we do 00.00 oclock starts but we get a night out allowance for doing it ? I just go along with it and if I feel tired I just pull over and get some shut eye , I wont kill myself for a wage and they shouldn’t expect you to …
If they never told you until the day before, then that is a bit harsh as it destroys any plans. Plus how are you expected to get a decent sleep prior? So you will be driving tired all night.
Not good
I start between 22:00 and 01:00 everyday, its normally 23:30 or 00:30 on average, I quite like it, the roads are quite and shifts are never normally more than 9hrs if that, i’d 8 on average, so if I get 5-6 hours on an evening and an hour whilst loading I can have the day doing other things, getting loads done around the house now, loads better than doing 5 nights away.
When I’m doing Dairy work then start time can be from Midnight on wards, with appropriate pay I will add. As said not so bad, roads are quiet. Downside is the early to bed routine cuts into family life.
OP …been there ’ done that 'shove it 
I was on 16.00 starts for years loved it
now on 20.00 to 22.00 starts but I know what I’m on as I’m on a 5 week rota
My day starts either when the previous driver runs out of hours so they give me a call about two hours in advance to go and meet them at whatever services or call me to pick it up from the yard and go and tip it. It gets hard to do anything the night before as I’ve only a rough idea of what time I get woken up due to them being loaded/tipped quickly or slowly, probably expecting a waste up call between 3.00 - 5.00 a.m tomorrow morning.
dew:
I start anywhere between 11-3am depending on how busy the run is.It’s a job, just get on with it.
Maybe the OP isn’t as daft as you?
When on a 12 hour shift from a 19.00 start i was fine until the sun came up.
I would perky until two am ish then getting drowsy from then on.At the end if the shift i would be wide awake and it would take hours to unwind and get good sleep.
While doing milk cage drops the yard staff at super market would make wise ■■■ jokes that i was asleep in the lay by when i was not.I pull in and get late vagain then drive and the other driver used to get there at such a time better than me.
Each to their own, I’ve done weekends, nights and anything in between over the years but in my opinion mon-fri days with a six start is perfect
Having done fridges I regularly started abut that sort of time did have early finish mind parked up np closed curtains sorted slept till time to get up start again took a while but did manage
But I was used to unsocial hours as had worked in the catering business for 25 years before driving
Currently doing 22.30 starts and 08.30 Finnish
Got offered a new job with starts from 01.00 - 05.00 in my opinion that’s worse than night work
Did 00.00-04.00 starts for 8 months and it $$$$$$ me right up, do 18.00-20.00 now, much better the job has now become 24/7.
I believe these type of working conditions will deter lots of young guys taking up the work how can someone with a young family whose partner works full time start work at midnight?