TPEwannabe
Member
- Joined
- 12 Feb 2020
- Messages
- 20
Please could someone advise me on a typical shift pattern for drivers, and in particular TransPennine Express shifts if possible. Thanks.
Here is a copy of the Sheffield TPE Driver's roster from a few years ago. There would now be MORE rest days as it was negotiated to move from a 4.25 day average working week to a 4 day average working week a couple of years ago. This would mean the duties would now be longer on average to still make an (that word "average" again!) 35 hour working week.
Hope that all makes sense.
"SP" is "Spare" - you can be allocated an uncovered turn of duty that starts upto (normally 2 or 3 hours - depends on the company and I don't know what it is at TPE) earlier or later than the SP start time.
Hard to swap rest days or weeks of work with this roster, but quality time off is grouped together.
Sundays are IN the working week at TPE, so are a normal workday.
View attachment 76098
Here is a copy of the Sheffield TPE Driver's roster from a few years ago. There would now be MORE rest days as it was negotiated to move from a 4.25 day average working week to a 4 day average working week a couple of years ago. This would mean the duties would now be longer on average to still make an (that word "average" again!) 35 hour working week.
Hope that all makes sense.
"SP" is "Spare" - you can be allocated an uncovered turn of duty that starts upto (normally 2 or 3 hours - depends on the company and I don't know what it is at TPE) earlier or later than the SP start time.
Hard to swap rest days or weeks of work with this roster, but quality time off is grouped together.
Sundays are IN the working week at TPE, so are a normal workday.
View attachment 76098
Could anyone clarify what some of the annotations mean? Such as SP and what does Turn mean? Never seen a driver timetable before, interested to learn more about it. Thank You
Here is a copy of the Sheffield TPE Driver's roster from a few years ago. There would now be MORE rest days as it was negotiated to move from a 4.25 day average working week to a 4 day average working week a couple of years ago. This would mean the duties would now be longer on average to still make an (that word "average" again!) 35 hour working week.
Hope that all makes sense.
"SP" is "Spare" - you can be allocated an uncovered turn of duty that starts upto (normally 2 or 3 hours - depends on the company and I don't know what it is at TPE) earlier or later than the SP start time.
Hard to swap rest days or weeks of work with this roster, but quality time off is grouped together.
Sundays are IN the working week at TPE, so are a normal workday.
View attachment 76098
It's the complete opposite on the Underground, roster isn't important but the duties (turns) are very much so.The work content is barely mentioned but the Roster is highly important.
SP - Spare.
Basically it means that you are booked to cover any work that comes up. This is to allow for flexibility within a roster. If your booked spare on the Master roster then you can expect to be moved +/- 2/3hrs (depends on TOC) Drivers who are on leave or off sick etc will be covered using SP turns.
Turns.... What they are is your booked work for the day. Generally they are all numbered (TOC specific) and you will be booked each day to a specific 'Turn' eg. Line 5, Turn 902, books on at 0435 and off at 1216, 7hrs 41mins. (from the above roster)
RD is 'Rest Day' as in your 'day off'
Far right column is the hours each week. You often hear that TOCs work an 'Average' week. You can see from the posted roster how much this changes on a weekly basis. As long as Total number of lines / Total hours = contracted hours then is fine. You can be contracted less but never more. Line 20 has 53hrs 55mins but Line 7 is only 16hr 26m
The disparity in the roster is what Drivers need to deal with as the reality. 4 day / 35hrs sounds great on paper but the reality may be that one week your working 50hrs and another barely 20 :/
One of the reasons why people request roster information is precisely that. We want to know the earliest book on and latest book off. Longest week and how many rest days you get in a row. The work content is barely mentioned but the Roster is highly important.
If I have read that properly the roster covers 34 weeks, but in that time the driver has not had a proper holiday, eg. 7/10/14 days, how often would that happen?Here is a copy of the Sheffield TPE Driver's roster from a few years ago. There would now be MORE rest days as it was negotiated to move from a 4.25 day average working week to a 4 day average working week a couple of years ago. This would mean the duties would now be longer on average to still make an (that word "average" again!) 35 hour working week.
Hope that all makes sense.
"SP" is "Spare" - you can be allocated an uncovered turn of duty that starts upto (normally 2 or 3 hours - depends on the company and I don't know what it is at TPE) earlier or later than the SP start time.
Hard to swap rest days or weeks of work with this roster, but quality time off is grouped together.
Sundays are IN the working week at TPE, so are a normal workday.
View attachment 76098
Your annual leave isn't put on the roster, just like it's not scheduled in a 9-5 work pattern. TOCs are moving away from the rest week, where in that roster you'd have had up to 6 or 7 blocks of Rest Days between 7and10 days long, rather than 3 or 4 RDs a week on that roster. A roster like that is preferable (in my opinion, RD patterns and roster preferences are subjective) as it spreads the time off around, rather than being worked like a dog for 5or6 weeks to get your week off.If I have read that properly the roster covers 34 weeks, but in that time the driver has not had a proper holiday, eg. 7/10/14 days, how often would that happen?
If I have read that properly the roster covers 34 weeks, but in that time the driver has not had a proper holiday, eg. 7/10/14 days, how often would that happen?
The train gets delayed. It's no big deal. More embarrassing than anything.Heres a bit of an odd question
Say the previous night to a shift, you make a mistake of having a curry. You turn up to do your shift and get a bit of bad guts. You get on your train and start the service and 'have to go'. What are your options?
Do you have to save AL if you're booked to work Xmas Day and Boxing day? 6 floating days for the year doesn't seem like a lot to meSpare Turn - TPE spare can be moved 3 hours either way of your start time.
If you are not allocated a job then you sit spare in the messroom and can generally go home after 5 hours of watching TV and drinking coffee.
Leave was also mentioned in the thread - TPE is 5 weeks 1 spring, 3 summer, 1 winter. You are allocated the weeks on specific dates but can move them around or swap with other drivers to suit yourself. The summer leave is a block of 3 weeks but you can split it or move it. There are also 8 floating days that you can used throughout the year. Bank Holidays are worked as normal days unless you are rostered to be RD. You also get Xmas Day and Boxing Day off.
The train gets delayed. It's no big deal. More embarrassing than anything.
Maybe. Unfortunate but can't be helped.Dont you potentially delay other trains behind you? Or is that what makes it even more embarrassing?
Christmas & Boxing Day are guaranteed off so over & above. If your Free Day falls on either or both that week you get extra days back.Do you have to save AL if you're booked to work Xmas Day and Boxing day? 6 floating days for the year doesn't seem like a lot to me
That must be TOC specific, as at my place if we're rostered to work we have to save AL for it, or face UL or be asked to come in on the shed turnsChristmas & Boxing Day are guaranteed off so over & above. If your Free Day falls on either or both that week you get extra days back.
Ahh fair enough. I'd never heard of that before. Though all TOCs offered them as guaranteed for drivers. Sounds very Scrooge like.That must be TOC specific, as at my place if we're rostered to work we have to save AL for it, or face UL or be asked to come in on the shed turns
Unfortunately not, which is why I asked the question about TPE!Ahh fair enough. I'd never heard of that before. Though all TOCs offered them as guaranteed for drivers. Sounds very Scrooge like.
You probably would delay trains yes. I guess that's a better option than actually soiling yourself though...Dont you potentially delay other trains behind you? Or is that what makes it even more embarrassing?
Do you have to save AL if you're booked to work Xmas Day and Boxing day? 6 floating days for the year doesn't seem like a lot to me
The train gets delayed. It's no big deal. More embarrassing than anything.
Do you have to save AL if you're booked to work Xmas Day and Boxing day? 6 floating days for the year doesn't seem like a lot to me