Does anyone out there have any experience, good or bad with kirby Inland marine? I notice their starting pay is low, but from their website, it seems one can move up quickly. Perhaps it’s a “loyalty is rewarded” thing.<br><br>Love to hear any thoughts on this company
I have been watching this thread, hoping for some replies as well…<br><br> I talked with them a few months ago and was impressed with their program.I’m waiting on my MMD to come back and then I will pursue this more.
Hey guys, Well i cant give you guys too much info as i haven’t even started working there yet but I applied back in May and had an interview in June, there were some delays and i had my physical in September. I just received a call that I am clear for hire and will start October 20th. Kirby has their own training facility in Houston. Training is about 2 weeks before you are assigned your vessel. Shellback, you don’t need an MMD for entry level, eventually you will but not right away, I dont have one and they gave me all the papers to fill out for when you do need one. From what i hear from the other workers that I’ve met while in Houston for my physical is that its a really great company with great benefits and room for promotion/advancement. Their website tells you alot about their benefits. I am brand new in this industry with no experience at all. I will be training for tankerman position and hopefully climb up the ladder quickly to be a pilot in the wheelhouse. They told me most guys become pilots after 3-5 yrs. Pilots start at around $95-96k a yr. Most schedules are 30/15 and 20/10.
I met some of Kirby’s top management a couple years ago when they were considering PMI as a training facility for their folks. They were interested in our 2 year Mates program. While they eventually chose not to use PMI, I have heard they developed their own in-house training facility and are doing a good job. I’ve also heard very good things about Kirby and their efforts to recruit and retain good people. While having no first-hand knowledge of the conditions aboard, I was impressed by the folks I met when they visited.
There is some good but mostly bad I currently work here and it not a very family oriented. A few months ago I was told to drive during a hurricane through flooded roads dodging trees and debris in order to keep my job (not very safe for a saftey oriented company) loyalty is not rewarded I’ve been here for 2 years now and I always put in more than I have to on a daily bases and then after you fill the requirements to get a raise you get the run around trying to get it it took me 6 months to get a raise (I finaly got it in aughast after being do for it in February) you work long hours some captains can be major @$$ holes and some are the coolest people youl ever meet. If you smoke your automatically hated by office staff and majority of the captains. Some captains won’t let you smoke inside the boat and you can’t smoke outside when your on dock or on a barge so your gunna make some of them mad period. If you have a pilots lisnce your a golden boy the company iv seen the company bend over backwards for a pilot because he didn’t get a hotel room he wanted. I asked to be paid back for gas I put in a rental car and got told no we don’t do that for deck crews (anything to save a buck I guess) once you get your tankerman ticket your gunna be riding alot of extra days (no they don’t pay extra for riding over) one time in Houston I had to do 4 jumbo barges by myself because of a “shortage” of tankerman your captain relief captain and pilot are all supose to have tankerman a tickets for just this reason. Will they make a captain walk on the deck…no. Iv seem 2 captains come out and help because they saw we needed it. This company has gotten to big they don’t understand what it’s like to be the man on deck if you decide to work here your in for a very rough ride. And the pay sucks wer the 3rd lowest paid company in industry
bmxkidssn22…
The steersman program is wide open to you sir. Do you have to be told every morning to grab the broom? To clean up the dishes or to get out of the galley? Kirby has not asked a tankerman to ride over on a vessel in years. Too many guys ask them if they can ride. Also level raises are not just based on time. It is the captains discretion when he sees fit to put you in for a raise. That is one of the problems out here level 4 tankerman that cry to crew dispatch I cant do black oil, or i cant do clean. Get your steersman packet pass the test and move up. I wonder what effect you have on moral on your boat with that type of thinking. Your statement of having to do 4 “jumbo” barges by yourself is funny to me… you mean you actually had to do your job?? They asked you to tank 4 barges = 0… wanting something for nothing i guess.
I work for Kirby as well. I have not seen anything like bmxkidssn22 said. I’ll been treated fairly and have moved up faster than I hoped for.as for the gas reimbursement thing…i call BS on that. Good company.
[QUOTE=sandino;3532]Hey guys, Well i cant give you guys too much info as i haven’t even started working there yet but I applied back in May and had an interview in June, there were some delays and i had my physical in September. I just received a call that I am clear for hire and will start October 20th. Kirby has their own training facility in Houston. Training is about 2 weeks before you are assigned your vessel. Shellback, you don’t need an MMD for entry level, eventually you will but not right away, I dont have one and they gave me all the papers to fill out for when you do need one. From what i hear from the other workers that I’ve met while in Houston for my physical is that its a really great company with great benefits and room for promotion/advancement. Their website tells you alot about their benefits. I am brand new in this industry with no experience at all. I will be training for tankerman position and hopefully climb up the ladder quickly to be a pilot in the wheelhouse. They told me most guys become pilots after 3-5 yrs. Pilots start at around $95-96k a yr. Most schedules are 30/15 and 20/10.[/QUOTE]
Any info on the engine room of things???
I can’t even get a recruiter to return my phone call. Guess this isn’t training season?? Figured I’d at least get told there’s a wait.