Shift Schedule Patterns

Schedule

Three 8-Hour Rotating Shifts

Classic Day, Evening, Night cycle covering 24 hours per day. Workers rotate weekly between shifts so each crew shares the burden of nights.

Schedule

Three 12-Hour Shifts (Healthcare)

Common in hospitals: three 12-hour shifts per week giving 36 hours straight time and four days off, with overtime triggered above 40 unless a 207(k) exemption applies.

Schedule

Compressed 4-10 Workweek

Four 10-hour days with three days off. The day off rotates so weekend coverage is maintained without daily overtime under federal law.

Schedule

Panama Schedule (2-2-3)

Two on, two off, three on, two off, two on, three off across two crews. Used in continuous-process plants and power generation.

Schedule

4-on / 4-off 12-Hour Rotation

Equal four-day blocks of work and rest with crews flipping between day and night halfway through each cycle.

Schedule

Pitman Schedule (2-3-2)

Variant of the Panama with extended weekends every other week. Popular in correctional and police agencies.

Schedule

Kelly 24/48 (Fire Service)

Twenty-four hours on followed by forty-eight hours off; three platoons rotate over a nine-day cycle averaging 56 hours per week.

Schedule

24-on / 48-off (EMS)

Identical day-rotation to Kelly but used for EMS crews; sleep periods may be unpaid if uninterrupted under FLSA section 785.22.

Schedule

Split Shift

Two work blocks separated by an unpaid break of three or more hours, often used in transit, hospitality, and food service.

Schedule

Two 12-Hour Rotating Shifts

Two crews each work seven of fourteen days on alternating day and night blocks; common in maintenance teams.

Schedule

Two 8-Hour Rotating Shifts

Day and evening shifts rotated weekly with no overnight crew; suits operations that close from midnight to 6am.

Schedule

Permanent Overnight 8-Hour Shift

Dedicated graveyard crew with predictable hours; differential pay typically ranges from $1.00 to $4.00 per hour above base.

Schedule

Permanent Evening 8-Hour Shift

Swing shift covering roughly 3pm to 11pm with a smaller differential than nights.

Schedule

14-on / 14-off Oilfield Hitch

Fourteen consecutive days of 12-hour tours followed by fourteen days off. Travel days may or may not be compensable hours of work.

Schedule

7-and-7 Oilfield Hitch

Seven days on, seven days off, often paired with chartered transportation to remote sites.

Schedule

Long-Haul Trucking Duty Cycle

FMCSA-regulated 11 hours of driving within a 14-hour duty window after 10 consecutive hours off-duty.

Schedule

Team Driver Sleeper Berth Split

Two drivers alternating sleeper berth periods to keep the truck rolling under FMCSA section 395 split-sleeper rules.

Schedule

On-Call Rotation

Workers maintain readiness off-site; whether the time counts as hours worked depends on engagement-to-wait analysis under FLSA 785.17.

Schedule

Storm-Restoration Standby

Utility crews flip to extended emergency rosters when outages are declared, often pulling 16-hour shifts with mandatory rest.

Schedule

Rail On-Call Pool Service

Engineers and conductors are called from a pool with two-hour notice and tracked under hours-of-service rules.