I got a call back from Vane Bros once again the other day. He told me that there were 250 applications for 1 AB job, they had former boat captains from different companies working as trainee deckhands just to get a paycheck, and they had no one in their training program at the moment. I would say right now isnt a good time to be looking for a job on the water, times are tight. And if you are a newbie then you are likely SOL.
Madison Coal and supply emailed me and said they werenâ;t hiring right now, check back at a later date. I talked to someone the other night who also got shot down by Vane Bros. Email back from Marquette- NO 28/28 they only do 28/14.
I work for Blessey and we donât stop and Walter never cut noones pay and they just keep putting out new boats every month itâs just hard to get on cause nobody wants to leave cause itâs hard to find new jobs out there.
Signet maritime might be looking for deckhands. They have a website www.signetmaritime.com. might not hurt to give them a call.
West505,
I think you may be taking it a little too extreme. I agree in the winter of 08 the bottom fell out, especially for the big coal tows. Since then though things have picked up quite nicely. The Gulf Coast DL companies like Kirby, Blessey, MML, Florida Marine are all pushing tons of product right now. As for Florida Marine, I work there now and we havenât stopped moving. That said, all the contracts for the BP spill saved our ass. Hell, one of the new boats, the Grimsley, is sitting up at the Olmstead locks with less than 100 hours on her main engines making nearly 6 figures a day for the Corp.
[QUOTE=Brian;47399]West505,
I think you may be taking it a little too extreme. I agree in the winter of 08 the bottom fell out, especially for the big coal tows. Since then though things have picked up quite nicely. The Gulf Coast DL companies like Kirby, Blessey, MML, Florida Marine are all pushing tons of product right now. As for Florida Marine, I work there now and we havenât stopped moving. That said, all the contracts for the BP spill saved our ass. Hell, one of the new boats, the Grimsley, is sitting up at the Olmstead locks with less than 100 hours on her main engines making nearly 6 figures a day for the Corp.[/QUOTE]
Who is MML??? Thanks.
Itâs mmi, Iâm a idiot. Maryland marine.
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 thatâs 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 thereâs 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 itâs all online so no interruption in home or work life. Thereâs 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 Iâm thinking about going back to school SUNY or MITAGS Iâve always been a offshore guy the river isnât for me itâs been great deck experience though. Good luck
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 height=350><TBODY><TR><TD style=âPADDING-TOP: 10pxâ vAlign=top>[LEFT]Due to recent United States Coast Guard regulations affecting crew travel, we are only accepting applications from individuals living in the following states and, in some cases, regions of states:
Ohio (South of Columbus), Indiana (South of Indianapolis) Wisconsin (Southern) Iowa (East of Des Moines) Illinois Missouri Kentucky West Virginia (Northwest) Pennsylvania (Southeast) Tennessee (West of Cookeville) Mississippi Alabama Florida (Panhandle) Louisiana Arkansas
I Copied and pasted this from the Ingram Barge Co. website. I donât know what regs they are talking about, but thats what they say. I filled out the online application anyway. I figured they wonât shoot me and eat me for filling it out. Anyway my name is in the hat, so to speak. Thanks for the info.
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[QUOTE=bell47;47506]<table border=â0â cellpadding=â0â cellspacing=â0â height=â350â><tbody><tr><td style=âpadding-top: 10px;â valign=âtopâ>[LEFT]Due to recent United States Coast Guard regulations affecting crew travel, we are only accepting applications from individuals living in the following states and, in some cases, regions of states:
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The laws they are referring to has NOTHING to do with where you live, or where you choose to live. This has to do with where the company wants to have crew change. Some earlier posts referred to âfleeting areasâ These are the places of choice (by the company) to have crew change. These companies are working around the many interpretations of crew rest periods, prior to crew change. They KNOW that although the employee âswears and promisesâ to arrive refreshed, and ready to work the 12 hour days required, Most (if not all) of us do as much as we can the day prior to crew change, and drive all night to get to work, and donât really meet the actual âcrew rest guidelinesâ that the USCG has stated we must follow.
[U][B] âI saw this in an AWO pamphlet about 8 years ago. Unfortunately since I am no longer in management I am NOT allowed access to this type of ammunition, but it is still relevant.[/B][/U]â
These guidelines state: (although I am paraphrasing here, and abbreviating alot) An individual must work no more than 12 hours in any 24 hour period. HEREâS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING⌠Time spent going grub shopping, time spent commuting to and from work, and time on watch is all considered time working.
So if you drive in for a 6 hour commute to work, then you have to go on watch immediately, you have automatically broken the 12 hour work rule! The rule states you must have at least 6 hours off after a 6 hour shift. If you have worked more than 8 hours you must have at least an 8 hour break. So just because you drive for 6 hours, and had 6 hours on watch, you will be illegal to work the next six hour shift! Remember âNo more than 12 hours in any 24 hour periodâ!
I saw this in an AWO pamphlet about 8 years ago. Unfortunately since I am no longer in management I am NOT allowed access to this type of ammunition, but it is still relevant.
So some companies have made it policy to ensure that their crews live âlocalâ to eliminate the âcommuteâ issue.
OKâŚI ran into this when I used to be a pilot as most pilots donât live at their assigned duty base. Those rules are pretty much the same, in aviation itâs called âduty timesâ What it really boils down to is, they can require you to âliveâ somewhere but is it really inforced? I lived in one place but my âbaseâ was in another state. All I was required to do was "be at your assigned duty base[I] [U]ready to work[/U][/I] at the assigned time.Where you went on your days off, how and when you got 'home"was your business. I went to the local UPS store got a PO box and all company mail was addressed there. At the UPS store the PO boxes were not addressed as a PO BOX it was a street address and a unit number, looks like an apartment address. All my mail there was forwarded to my real home. The company really didnât care what you did, they all knew that I actually didnât live there, it was no secret. The PO box kept the company happy, living at home kept me happy. Actually of the four company pilots âbasedâ there none lived there. Does this happen in the marine industry?
So Kirby bought K-sea yesterday,will this mean anything in the inland job market?
not yet, but i have alot of buddies that work at k-sea and they are all crapping their pants now!!!
Why are they worried, I bet Kirby didnât buy K-sea to shut it down.
thats what happens when companies get bought, (been thru 2 buy outs) guys get scared of change. i have found that its about 50/50, half the change is good half is bad. end of the day all tug outfits are more or less the same, just different color boats. as long as the checks clearâŚ
I think what he is referring to is Kirbyâs reputation as a Union buster, extremely LOW wage company to work for.
It is going to be interesting to see how this shakes up the Northeast wage. New York harbor now has more Non Union companies (especially NON UNION wages) now than decent paying companies. Not to say that all Non Union companies arenât decent places to work, But by and large they pay difference is quite noticeable.
Also IIRC, Kirby has often been accused of nepotism (GOBNW), and fraudulent hiring practices, and I know that Kirby trains a lot of guys who bail as soon as they find out how much they can earn elsewhere. Sort of like alarm bells going off. They train you, Then you leave⌠If it was that good⌠get the picture?
thank you cappy, once again you say what i am thinking way better than i do
[QUOTE=cappy208;47845]I think what he is referring to is Kirbyâs reputation as a Union buster, extremely LOW wage company to work for.[/QUOTE]
What are you considering as low wages? Are you talking about the wheelhouse or tankerman/deckhand? I believe the wheelhouse is above $400/day for a mate.
yeah. exactly. My Mate makes 526. so, driving a 20, 30 or 40 barge tow up and down a river, for 8 or 9 months a year, the guy makes more than my Mate. BUT⌠what kind of home life is that???
And deckhands in the northeast make around 320 a day. How is a riverboat deckhand, lugging 100 pound steamboat ratchets, and face wires around ALL watch, tightening, loosening, and breaking and making tow deserving to earn 120 a day busting their ass.
I see the river traffic. There has been a drop, but most of the companies are busy, making money (ala Kirby stocks) so they could afford to give the employees a raise. Instead they short change the help for stockholder profit.
KSea got WAY too big, way to quick. Now that Kirby ate them up, I hope Kirby falls FLAT on their tookus, and it takes some steam out of their cheap ass philosophy. Just MHO
[QUOTE=cappy208;47852]
And deckhands in the northeast make around 320 a day. [/QUOTE]
WOW thats $100 a day more than what I make!! I need to just go to NY and deal with the dumbassesâŚ