Finally! After nearly three long years in the dark I got day shift.

[bull]

I work for the local transit authority as a bus mechanic and for the past 2 1/2 years I've been walking with the dead on graveyard, but yesterday I finally scored a day shift position. We are union workers and every six months all the mechanic's positions go up for bid and we all sign jobs by seniority during a 2-3 hour ordeal. I walked up to the board to sign and immediately saw a day shift position at the one of our three garages that I wanted to try next. I was awestruck and began looking around the room to see if it was a mistake but everyone was just staring at me waiting for me to sign. I kept looking and looking at it waiting for the catch but I just never saw it. I have to wonder if I rubbed my eyes a couple times while I was standing there. It's crappy days off (Monday and Tuesday) but I had never even gotten weekends off on graveyard the whole time I've been a journeyman anyway. It's so weird for me to think about how different my life will be over the next six months. I can sleep at the same time as my family, I can attend evening events, I can see daylight (I'm not kidding, for a few months in the winter here you DO NOT see ANY daylight whatsoever on graveyard shift), I can drive to work and home in the daylight, the new shop is about 7 miles closer to home, etc., etc. I can't hold my breath for day shift in the September sign up but for now I'm living it up.

[Johnny SixPack]

Congrats, man!

That's freakin' great news, Curtis. 

[MichaelRW]

I can identify with how great it is getting on the day shift. A loooong time ago I worked 9pm to 6am at a bank computer center. We used to stop at a bar and have a beer or drink after leaving work at 6:00am. That seems so weird to me now.

[bull]

I can identify with how great it is getting on the day shift. A loooong time ago I worked 9pm to 6am at a bank computer center. We used to stop at a bar and have a beer or drink after leaving work at 6:00am. That seems so weird to me now.

I have a buddy at work who likes to crack open a beer when he gets home at 7am in the summer and stand outside waving at the neighbors as they start their commute.

Speaking of commute, graveyard does have a few bonuses such as much less traffic to deal with. There's also the fact that it's a lot cooler in the summertime and  it's usually a much less-hectic environment at work. It's better than swing shift if you have a young family because it's the exact opposite of day shift so you still have the morning and evenings to spend with wife and kids. If I went to swing I'd never see my girls except on weekends.

[greenpigs]

I like the DARK.

[kab69440]

You have to start working mornings now? My condolences, man...  Seriously, if day shift works for you, great deal! I'll be on third shift as long as I can find a job that offers it, personally. Mornings and I are not on speaking terms, nor have we been for some years.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Good news bull!

I was a bus mechanic for 7 years before I became a Maint. Supervisor (foreman) for the NYCTA
I had to work the "hawk" shft for 7 months before we had a pick......got lucky enough to get a day trick and never looked back.
The midnight shift is a killer on the body & mind......messes ya up bad (at least it did that to me)   A lot of guys are natural born graveyard shift guys.....God bless them!  I dont know how they do it!

[haueter66]

Ive been 2 years on 3rd shift now (10p-6a).  I know what you mean.  I do think my job is less stressful on midnights, but I would agree that days would be nice for enjoying the things the rest of the world enjoys.

Congrats on the change!

[rare69]

congrats on the shift change! you and your family will love the change. i worked rotating shifts for five years,days for two weeks then swing for two weeks then back to days, was very hard to get used to, i have been straight day shift for about six years now and get to visit and eat dinner with the wife every night like normal people.

[Darkness]

greenpigs wrote:
I like the DARK.

I think that's more than we need to know.

[Silver R/T]

congratulations

[derailed]

[
I have a buddy at work who likes to crack open a beer when he gets home at 7am in the summer and stand outside waving at the neighbors as they start their commute.

Ive been known to do that few times, I never was really an early bird myself. I cant stand waking up to an alarm clock. I prefer the afternoon shift but im sure that will change as my kids get older and start full days of school. A couple of years ago I was on a shift that went to work at noon and we were usually done by 5pm monday through friday. I was on it for about 4 months and thought i had died and gone to heaven

[bull]

[
I have a buddy at work who likes to crack open a beer when he gets home at 7am in the summer and stand outside waving at the neighbors as they start their commute.

Ive been known to do that few times, I never was really an early bird myself. I cant stand waking up to an alarm clock. I prefer the afternoon shift but im sure that will change as my kids get older and start full days of school. A couple of years ago I was on a shift that went to work at noon and we were usually done by 5pm monday through friday. I was on it for about 4 months and thought i had died and gone to heaven

I'm really the same way. I like swing shift but it's completely bassackwards from the rest of my life so I don't bother. If I didn't have little kids I'd probably do swing. Here swing starts at 2:30 and gets off at 10:30.

[Chargerguy74]

I've been working the night shift for over a year. 6 days a week, 6pm to 6am but 6am easily turns into 7 or 8. I couldn't tell you exactly the last time I saw the sun, but it's starting to get light out now when I wake up, and before I go to sleep. Gotta love that morning beer.

[twilt]

Congrats on the move to day shift. I worked 3rd shift for 7 years and my  body never adjusted to it.  I very rarely got 6-8 hours of good sleeep. It was a major contributing factor in me getting divorced 10 years ago.   

[Telvis]

I worked third shift for many years. I really liked it. Once I went to day shift I really missed it. It's hard on your body even if you do like it. Congratulations on the upgrade. Hopefully you will get to make it permanent.

[bull]

I forgot to mention (at least in this thread) that I have been working either part time or overtime for the past year on top of the 40hrs/wk on graveyard. Talk about burnout. When my dad died I really took a look at it all and decided it wasn't worth killing myself. The Charger will take longer to finish but at least I'll be sane when I drive it. Well, until I stomp on it.

[chrisII]

i worked 2 - 10:30 for 2 years, and it was the worst shift ive ever had. but i got so used to it that now since ive ben back on first for almost a year i still miss it some, but i have no family to worry about. my house didnt get the attention it deserved but for 2 years i could go out an close the bars every night (if i wanted to) and still get up in plenty of time for work without an alarm clock.  the down side is that dating on that shift in a small town is a bear. when i worked third shift i really liked that, my hours were flip floped from everyone else but it was ok , i got lots of peace and quiet during the day, and was up when my friends got off work. i was working as a garbage truck mechanic at the time, and believe me i liked the cooler night air.

[John_Kunkel]

I worked a few months of graveyard (11PM to 7:30 AM) and liked it for several reasons:

No big bosses around.
10% more pay.
No traffic on the commute.

It did seem weird to start my work week at 11PM on Sunday.

I finally settled in on swing shift (3:30 PM to Midnight) as my favorite shift for most of the same reasons as above.

[Chargerguy74]

I forgot to mention (at least in this thread) that I have been working either part time or overtime for the past year on top of the 40hrs/wk on graveyard. Talk about burnout. When my dad died I really took a look at it all and decided it wasn't worth killing myself. The Charger will take longer to finish but at least I'll be sane when I drive it. Well, until I stomp on it.

40 hrs a week isn't bad, I average 75-80.

[bull]

I forgot to mention (at least in this thread) that I have been working either part time or overtime for the past year on top of the 40hrs/wk on graveyard. Talk about burnout. When my dad died I really took a look at it all and decided it wasn't worth killing myself. The Charger will take longer to finish but at least I'll be sane when I drive it. Well, until I stomp on it.

40 hrs a week isn't bad, I average 75-80.

So you're divorced or single?

[Steve P.]

That's great news Bull.. Congrats.....

[Beer]

Congrats...

Going on 7 years on the 6 Pm to 6 Am shift here...

[89MOPAR]

  midnight to noon 
   work / work/ off / off/ work / work /work/ off / off/ work / work/ off / off /off - repeat.
   
The thing I dislike is trying to sleep at night on the days off , then swapping two days later. but it's better than staying up all night on the days I don't work.

anyhow, congrats !

[General_01]

Congrats bull.

My wife works nights. 10pm to 6am. She won't work 2nd shift. She would miss too many kids events after school. She has had the opportunity to go to days, but won't do it until she can stay there permanent. Her work is like yours in that there is a union and once a year the workers sign up for the shift they want. She doesn't want to work the day shift for a year and then get booted off by someone with higher seniority the next year, so she waits. 13 years so far. I wonder if she will be able to convert to a day schedule when she finally has the opportunity.