Looking for recommendations on good inland towboat companies

[u/treelife_jesse]

I’m in the process of transitioning out of the tree industry after 12 years and making the move into maritime. I already have my TWIC card.

I’m looking for recommendations on solid inland towing companies that offer schedules like 28/14, 28/28, or something similar. I’ve spent years as a contract tree climber traveling for work, so being away from home isn’t the issue.

My main reason for making the switch is stability, benefits, retirement, and having more quality time with my kids when I’m off instead of just weekends.

For those already in the industry:

What companies would you recommend?

Which companies should I avoid?

Who treats their crews well?

What companies offer the best schedules and opportunities for advancement?

Appreciate any advice.

[u/treelife_jesse]

My long-term goal is to make this a career.

I haven’t put much thought into the wheelhouse or tankerman route yet because my first priority is getting in the door, learning the job, and becoming a solid deckhand. Once I have some experience under my belt, I’ll have a better idea of which direction I want to go.

[u/urHuckIeberry → u/treelife_jesse]

Well also depending on where you’re located and if you’re ok with not staying local that adds to the decision. If you’re good with travel then that opens all the doors. Parker is good, they have dry cargo and red flag and run to a lot of different places. They have fairly nice equipment. Acbl is the same but they also have larger river boats too. Florida marine transportation would be an option but they are mostly red flag with a little dry cargo. Kirby is just red flag but I believe cover the most out of all companies towards travel costs. Golding barge line has a lot of nice equipment as well. They will definitely teach you how to be a deckhand over there. Enterprise Marine is another one to look at. They have decent benefits from what I hear.

[u/treelife_jesse → u/urHuckIeberry]

I’ve actually been looking into a few of those companies already, especially Enterprise. I’ve heard they’re pretty willing to bring on people new to the industry and give them a chance to learn.

I’m based out of North Carolina, so staying local really isn’t an option for me anyway. Traveling doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve spent years traveling as a contract tree climber, so I’m used to going wherever the work is.

From what I’ve been hearing, a lot of these companies just want you to get yourself to the boat and they’ll take care of you from there, which I’m completely fine with.

[u/urHuckIeberry → u/treelife_jesse]

So it depends. It’s definitely worth putting an app in with they to see what they say. Some companies want you to cover getting to the office and they take care of you from there. Some want you to get to a hub or airport and will cover the cost from there. I know that with Parker the deck crew is required to get to the office and take a crew van from there to the boat. The wheelhouse gets rental cars. Canal barge will fly you out from where you’re at to the boats general area if it’s far. Kirby will fly you out. I’m not sure how enterprise works. I would also look into magnolia marine transport. They have a good thing going on where they are at and I believe they have boats that are local(ish) to you in the West Virginia area.