I currently work for Ingram Barge, great company to work for if you want river experience. Good benefits, pay has gone up, a variety of work schedules from 14/10-28/28, safety bonuses for deck crew and wheelhouse, travel expense reimbursement ect. With the demand for jobs so high right now they are able to be very selective of who they hire. I think thats why they have told you, that you live to far away. Although I know a guy from orlando fl that’s out here. I will tell you one thing this job is very physical, which is why I chose it to be my first vessel job. We just finished putting 60 sets of rigging off a 40 barge tow onto our boat in a six hour watch (over 5 tons of steel 100 pounds at a time) that same 5 ton of rigging will be thrown back out to build a 42 barge North bound tow later tonight. Anyways, now they will pay for you to get your apprentice mate steersman license but there’s a very long line to get into their program. Ingram now offers a full tuition paid associate degree program a western Kentucky tech, you can choose from wheelhouse management, engineering, or logistics it’s all online so no interruption in home or work life. There’s really not much more you could ask from a company in good economic times much less these unfavorable ones we live in at the moment. Right now I’m thinking about going back to school SUNY or MITAGS I’ve always been a offshore guy the river isn’t for me it’s been great deck experience though. Good luck