Home › Compare schedules › 3 on 3 off vs 4 on 4 off
3 on 3 off vs 4 on 4 off
The same forty-two hours, cut into different sized pieces. Three and three, or four and four.
| 3 on 3 off | vs | 4 on 4 off |
|---|---|---|
| The cycle | ||
| 12 hours | Shift length | 12 hours |
| 6 or 12 days | Cycle length | 8 or 16 days |
| 42 hours | Average week | 42 hours |
| 3 | Most shifts in a row | 4 |
| 3 days | Longest break | 4 days |
| Fatigue | ||
| No | Four nights in a row | Yes |
| YesThree days | Enough recovery after a night block | YesFour days |
| Yes | Easier on older officers | No |
| Your week | ||
| No | Days off land on the same weekdays | No |
| No | Every other weekend off | No |
| Yes | Simple to remember | Yes |
Neither one settles
Start with what they share, because it decides more than the difference does: six days and eight days both fail to divide into seven. On either pattern your days off walk through the week, weekends move, and nothing weekly survives.
Three in a row against four
The fourth shift is where these part company. Four consecutive twelve-hour nights is a hard run and it is the reason some crews vote it out. Three is manageable for most people, most of the time.
In exchange, four on four off gives you a four-day break rather than three — enough for a trip rather than a long weekend.
Who picks which
Smaller agencies often run three on three off because it is easy to staff and easy to explain. Officers further into their careers tend to prefer it too, because the shorter runs are kinder.
Four on four off suits people who want blocks of time and can absorb the longer runs to get them.
Full detail on each pattern: 3 on 3 off schedule · 4 on 4 off schedule
The shift schedule you actually work
Save whichever one your agency runs and a police shift calendar built by an officer fills the rest of the year in. Everything stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Scan to install — or hold it up for the officer next to you.
