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Pitman vs 4 on 4 off
Both are twelve-hour rotations at forty-two hours a week. One keeps your weekends and your sleep pattern; the other gives you four days off at a time.
| Pitman | vs | 4 on 4 off |
|---|---|---|
| The cycle | ||
| 12 hours | Shift length | 12 hours |
| 14 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 |
| Your week | ||
| Yes | Every other weekend off | No |
| Yes | Days off land on the same weekdays | NoThey walk forward each cycle |
| Yes | Standing weekly commitments possible | No |
| No | A four-day break every cycle | Yes |
| Sleep | ||
| YesDays or nights, permanently | Fixed tour, no changeover | NoMost versions flip mid-cycle |
| No | Four night shifts in a row | Yes |
Predictability against block time
Pitman is the most predictable twelve-hour pattern there is. Fourteen days divides evenly into the week, so your days off never move, and a fixed tour means your body clock never resets. Every other weekend is yours, permanently.
Four on four off gives you more usable time in a row — four days — and takes your weekends in exchange, because an eight-day cycle walks through the week and never settles.
The night question
Under Pitman, a night crew stays a night crew. That is either the best or worst thing about it depending on which tour you draw and how you handle nights.
Most four on four off versions flip you between days and nights halfway through the sixteen-day cycle, and ask for four night shifts in a row when they do.
Which to bid
If anything in your life happens on the same day every week, Pitman. If you want four-day blocks and have nothing weekly to protect, four on four off.
Full detail on each pattern: Pitman 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.
