morning all,how do you all get on with the early starts?,thinking about a carreer change but wondering if you adapt to the early starts.local tipper firm to me start at 3.30am.working on that basis you would have to hit the sack about 9pm every night.are you always knackered or do you adapt to it after a few weeks?thanks.
Only been driving since Nov.
My starts can fluctuate anytime between 2 and 10.
Company tries to keep you within a 2 hour window of whatever time you start on the Monday. Still dislike the really early starts…mainly cos I hate losing my evenings.
5 on is fine by me [emoji6]
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Personally I hated them and was always half asleep but then I don’t think anything before getting up at 8am is good. Probably why i work nights. 
If you’re a morning person then it isn’t quite so bad, but remember to add-on the commute time to and from work.
In your case being tippers I would figure that means turn up around 3, be ready to go at 3.30 and possibly work until 6.30. They often tend to try to max put the hours and run full-tilt. I would be running on 8 hours sleep as you’ll be pretty knackered.
It certainly isn’t a 9-5 job but there are better start out jobs out there including pallets. They tend to be fairly fixed 7 to 5/6 ish. Not always the best payers, but good for better hours and teaches you a lot about the job.
As a sidenote, can i recommend if you can afford it, get ADR too. Do it with the forum sponsor and you get extra CPC credits, plus its good for times like these and to give you a footup from other new drivers.
mikemjf:
morning all,how do you all get on with the early starts?,thinking about a carreer change but wondering if you adapt to the early starts.local tipper firm to me start at 3.30am.working on that basis you would have to hit the sack about 9pm every night.are you always knackered or do you adapt to it after a few weeks?thanks.
I’ve been starting at 03.00 for over 4 yrs now I go to bed at 7.30 and I live less than 10 minutes away, it’s not particularly nice going to bed that early especially in the summer but I only work 4 days a week and very rarely go past a 12 hr shift, it’s fits in with family life as I’m getting home around 2.30 to 3.30 every afternoon. As for being knackered I’m pretty disciplined in going to bed early and the same time everyday so never feel too tired.
If you think the early starts might be a bit trying (and tiring) the job is probably not for you. Regularly starting work at 03:30 on “day work” realistically means getting up at around 02:30 (unless you actually live on site). You’ll need to be going to bed a lot earlier than 9pm…
Living near ya job helps, i have a 4 minute commute in the early hours, so early starts are not a big problem.
A few of the other drivers have a 1 hour commute. They have to be up at silly o’clock.
The commute definitely makes a major difference which is why I consider stupidly early starts should be restricted to tramping.
If they want you starting that early, it usually means you’ll be working daftly long days as you need to get to X site by the time it opens, plus drive around then god knows how far to yard.
Done plenty of 1 hour commute each way and then stupid o’clock start time. Never again, not in this job to fall asleep and kill someone.
I used to always start around about 4am - it ■■■■■, I don’t miss that at all. It’s unhealthy for your body, mind and family/social life. The only advantage is driving when the roads are quieter, but that’s not really an issue at the moment.
BTW, if you start before 4am, you’re (supposed to be) limited to 10 hours work, unless your company has organized an opt-out from the Road Transport Directive (2005)
My previous job (tramping for a P&O Ferrymasters subbie) was an absolute killer on a Monday morning because sometimes I would have to set my alarm for 03.30 (often with very little sleep), and then do a fifteen mile commute to the yard in Wilton for a 05.00 start because typically I was given a 07.30 delivery to Team Valley (Gateshead) as my first job of the week. The delivery was often late anyway because I had to pick up the trailer from Teesport, which was often riddled with defects (dodgy tyres, half the lights not working, etc) which meant phoning a TIP call centre in Holland and then waiting for hours for a fitter to turn up to repair it! 
I packed in the job after eight months service with this outfit because at busy times they always wanted every last drop of blood from me, and was often told to take a 9 off because they planned a stupid-o-clock delivery to Liverpool from Killingholme after I parked up in Immingham for the night following a 15-hour day. And I wasn’t often home till 22.00 on a Friday night.
Now, at least with my current box jockeying job (even though it’s usually a fixed 06.00 start, sometimes slightly earlier), it’s only about a ten-minute drive from home, and I’m usually finished by 16.30! 
Plus, I’m home every night and able to plan a greater social life outside work (even though it doesn’t really exist at the moment with the COVID-19 situation).
Garbo2018:
Now, at least with my current box jockeying job (even though it’s usually a fixed 06.00 start, sometimes slightly earlier), it’s only about a ten-minute drive from home, and I’m usually finished by 16.30!
Now this is the thing - and please, don’t read this as a personal pop at the poster - Why, Oh why is a 1630 finish when starting at 0600 or earlier seen as remarkable, a positive, a bonus? In pretty much any other industry an 8 hour day is regarded as normal, with 10 or more hours seen as a “long shift”.
Roymondo:
Garbo2018:
Now, at least with my current box jockeying job (even though it’s usually a fixed 06.00 start, sometimes slightly earlier), it’s only about a ten-minute drive from home, and I’m usually finished by 16.30!Now this is the thing - and please, don’t read this as a personal pop at the poster - Why, Oh why is a 1630 finish when starting at 0600 or earlier seen as remarkable, a positive, a bonus? In pretty much any other industry an 8 hour day is regarded as normal, with 10 or more hours seen as a “long shift”.
Spot on.
Tacho rules were supposed to combat knackered drivers.
It’s a con
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Roymondo:
Garbo2018:
Now, at least with my current box jockeying job (even though it’s usually a fixed 06.00 start, sometimes slightly earlier), it’s only about a ten-minute drive from home, and I’m usually finished by 16.30!Now this is the thing - and please, don’t read this as a personal pop at the poster - Why, Oh why is a 1630 finish when starting at 0600 or earlier seen as remarkable, a positive, a bonus? In pretty much any other industry an 8 hour day is regarded as normal, with 10 or more hours seen as a “long shift”.
Cos not many jobs (like yours and mine) pay enough for people to manage financially on such hours, the industry is rife with people working 60+ hours, 70+ not unusual, to make a normal weekly working wage, but for some reason jobs like ours, different to each other as they are, are spoken about as boring on this forum because we go home at the end of our reasonable length shifts.
The irony is (i bet you have these too) some who manage to land these jobs are too stupid to look after them, seemingly can’t wait to get back to ■■■■ poor pay and working all hours the good Lord sends, buggered if i know what goes on in their heads.
You are going to need 8 hrs sleep. When driving I have mainly done the very early starts: midnight - 3am. The first shift of the week was usually the worst for the first couple of hours because however early I had gone to bed, getting to sleep was often very difficult, as the day went on for some reason things improved considerably . Later in the week getting to sleep was no problem, but from about 6 hrs into a shift I became increasingly tired. I know I couldn’t manage this kind of tipper work, with a day cab there is no opportunity to get a proper lie down and half hour kip, apart from that the job is chase, chase, chase all day; I have avoided it like the plague. This may not be for you either. Above all don’t drive tired.
This is why I have always been so against taking RDC waiting room breaks and not being allowed access to the cab. After a couple of days’ early starts I need the ability to lie down for a short while to get some proper rest if I have driven for several early morning hours.
RDCs are massive places so why are they not having the trailers dropped so the units can be parked up with the driver in them plus a few portaloos if needed 
ROG:
RDCs are massive places so why are they not having the trailers dropped so the units can be parked up with the driver in them plus a few portaloos if needed
Who would take responsibilty for trestle positioning, their own trailers will be either trestled or known not to have issues re forklift loading whilst dropped, its 3rd party trailers are the issue.
Garbo2018:
My previous job (tramping for a P&O Ferrymasters subbie) was an absolute killer on a Monday morning because sometimes I would have to set my alarm for 03.30 (often with very little sleep), and then do a fifteen mile commute to the yard in Wilton for a 05.00 start because typically I was given a 07.30 delivery to Team Valley (Gateshead)
I personally wouldn’t class 3.30 for 5am start to be an ‘early start’ although anything before that probably is
Roymondo:
Garbo2018:
Now, at least with my current box jockeying job (even though it’s usually a fixed 06.00 start, sometimes slightly earlier), it’s only about a ten-minute drive from home, and I’m usually finished by 16.30!Now this is the thing - and please, don’t read this as a personal pop at the poster - Why, Oh why is a 1630 finish when starting at 0600 or earlier seen as remarkable, a positive, a bonus? In pretty much any other industry an 8 hour day is regarded as normal, with 10 or more hours seen as a “long shift”.
Because as a box jockey he will likely have done little driving to his delivery, which will then take the best part of 3 hours to get off -time spent sleeping, watching netflix, eating, smoking, walking, reading whatever you want.
I can tell you as someone that has worked 9-1730 in an office and 6-2 in a factory I know what I’d rather do and it would be 10-11 hours in the truck everytime.
mikemjf:
morning all,how do you all get on with the early starts?,thinking about a carreer change but wondering if you adapt to the early starts.local tipper firm to me start at 3.30am.working on that basis you would have to hit the sack about 9pm every night.are you always knackered or do you adapt to it after a few weeks?thanks.
There are other jobs out there that don’t have such a brutal start time, I think you would need good money and a decent finish time to start at 3.30.
I thought one of the pluses of tippers is that the hours are fairly fixed with 6 or 7 am start times, obviously asphalt work etc is different.
Up at 0300 most mornings for a 0400 Start.
Exellent rates and early to bed soothes the pain.
Dinner time finishes are also handy.
Shopping
Gardening
Vehicle cleaning
Half a round of golf…Or even a spot of angling,during the lighter nights.
Do get some long runs,although I’ll still be finished for tea time.
There are negatives.
No midweek football matches/beer
You’ll always be the first to leave the pub at the weekend.(body clock)
Being awake 4 hours before anybody else at the weekend.(body clock)
Going to bed early when it’s hot.