For family guys- is night shift worth it in trucking?

Father of 4, happily married since 1993 to woman I’ve been with since 1989. Unless the family has a flexible schedule I’d say NO. I did night line haul for R&L for one year on Monday thru shift. The ONLY thing that made it bearable was the kids were homeschooled with Mom at home. They could accommodate the schedule. Weekends were nonexistent. Home Saturday AM 0900-1600 depending on when I was out the gate and what run I had Friday night. Tired then out of sync for Monday night if we tried to do anything “normal”. I’ll add I went to a 0900 start M-F but 45 minute commute each way and 11-12 hour day sucked too. Home to shower, eat , see everyone for maybe 1 hour then bed. Exhausted on weekends. Went back on the road, leave Sunday night or Monday AM, through the house once during the week for 12-14 hours and done Friday by 1500-1700. Not tired on weekend much better schedule for family, in my opinion.

 

Working Line haul 8pm to 5 am 24 years. Never weekend work. I’d sleep while kids are in school Got to have dinner with children every night, ball games, music lessons. Well worth it. Better than long haul and never seeing kids. Better for parenting, career mentoring the kids so they don’t end up truck drivers or some other dead end job.

 

1) i can honestly say, i have no "old guy issues", waking up at 4AM.

i just cannot get a full nights sleep, after working decades the night shift, and trying to go to bed about 6 to 7 AM.

2) getting things done during the day was way easier, than say, trying to schedule a day off for doctor appointments. so for instance, if the wife or i scheduled any doctor appointments, they were always for early in the morning, like from 8 AM to like 9AM, that way, i'd stay up, go to the appointment, go home and get off to bed.

as for "family things", we had the weekends. no sports activities during the week. i needed my rest/sleep

 

you...you...you mean...we're not all the same..????

 

Night work is great for batchelor, pretty hard if you have a family or roommates. If you work nights you will be pulled to act like a day driver and probably drive at least one night a week with no sleep. Or, you might get lucky and get divorced. Typically, new drivers work nights until ANY day position opens up, even if it is the worst daytime position. 18 year vampire.

 

So, if this potential position eventually leads to a daytime job, the question is can YOU and your FAMILY handle the short term sacrifice for a long term gain?

If it's a year or so, maybe two, and the alternative is 20k a year less, one has to ask if a year or two of sacrifice is worth the 20 grand.

I'd take a year or two of sacrifice for and extra 20 grand.

 

Decades of night work put years on me. Stay away from it unless you like feeling tired all the time.