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Rotation schedules explained: what 14/14, 28/28, 2 and 1, and 4 on 4 off mean
How to read rotation numbers, a table of the common patterns with their cycle length and days worked per year, the words you'll hear (hitch, swing, crew change, even time, holdover), and why some rotations keep your crew change on the same weekday while others drift.
Rotations on a real calendar
What is a 20/10 rotation schedule?
20 on, 10 off in a 30-day cycle. A worked calendar from November 2026, about 243 work days a year, and why the crew change moves two weekdays every time.
28/14 rotation schedule
Four weeks on, two off, always on the same weekday. A worked calendar, the yearly math, and how it compares with 14/14 and 28/28.
21/7 rotation schedule
Three weeks on, one off, also written 3/1. The most work days of the common rotations, with a calendar from November 2026.
Writing your rotation down
How to make a 14/14 rotation calendar for the whole year
Add 14 for home and 28 for the next hitch. A worked example from September 2026 to April 2027 and a spreadsheet formula that colors a whole year.
How to put a rotation schedule in the iPhone Calendar app
One all-day event and the right custom repeat: every 28 days for 14/14, 56 for 28/28, 21 for 2 and 1, 8 for 4 on 4 off. Plus sharing it through iCloud.
Counting the days
How to count the days until you're home from a hitch
Days in the hitch, minus today's day number, plus one. Worked examples for four rotations, and the travel-day question that causes most off-by-one counts.
USPS rotating day off calendar 2026
The full 2026 chart, week by week, with the group off each day and every group's Friday-to-Sunday weekends, plus how the six-week cycle works on a Saturday-to-Friday service week.
The people at home
How to explain a rotation schedule to your partner and kids
Give one number and one date instead of the pattern, count sleeps with young kids, plan months ahead with a partner, and agree on what happens when a crew change moves.
Prefer a tool?
The rotation calculator does the counting for any days-on, days-off rotation and makes a link you can send to family.