The Average Pay for a River Barge Pilot
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Pilot Duties
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Finding the average river boat pilot salary is tricky, due to the different titles used by these professionals. “River pilot,” “barge captain” and other titles are used, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics describing these jobs as “water transportation workers” and “captains, mates and pilots” when providing salary information.
Some barge pilots earn six-figure salaries, bonuses and full benefits that include health insurance and retirement account contributions. You’ll be able to find the most accurate pay ranges if you use a salary aggregator job website or contact a state pilot’s association. Talking to barge pilots is another way to get the most accurate salary information. Reviewing the various job titles and work descriptions will help you narrow down your search and help you decide if this career is a good choice for you.
Barge Pilot Description
River barge pilots help guide barges from one point on a river to another, usually from port to port. Barges are large, usually low, long, flat boats that take on cargo, as opposed to passengers. Pilots transport a wide variety of freight, from large containers filled with consumer goods, agricultural products, machinery and other items, to autos, livestock and materials like sand or gravel.
Barge pilots use sonar, GPS systems, maps and other tools to avoid shoals, sandbars, shallows and other river hazards that can damage, strand or sink vessels. River barge pilots are not the same as tugboat captains. Tugboats don’t transport goods, but instead help guide the large ships and barges that transport them. They help “nudge” ships in a particular direction when the large vessel can’t make a sharp turn or avoid a waterway danger without help.
In addition to piloting their vessels, river barge pilots have a variety of pre-trip and post-trip activities and paperwork they must handle. It can take more than one day for a barge to reach its location, requiring pilots to sleep overnight on the vessel. In some instances, crew members can be on board for trips that last almost a month, with some trips lasting longer, according to maritime transportation service Marquette Transportation Company .
Depending on the state, pilots are limited to a specific number of hours they can work before being required to take a break of a specific amount of time. Marquette refers to six-hours-on/six-hours-off schedules. For this reason, there would be more than one pilot on board the vessel. During their free time, pilots and other crew members can pursue personal activities.
Crews live in close quarters on barges, so you should be comfortable working and socializing with the same people for days and weeks at a time. You’ll also be away from family, friends and pets for long periods, although you can contact them via your phone or computer.
Barge Pilot Education Requirements
The more education and experience you have, the quicker you’ll land a job, the higher the pay you’ll earn and the sooner you’ll be promoted. You can earn a bachelor’s degree in maritime transportation, then serve a multi-year apprenticeship on a river barge, according to the career website ZipRecruiter . This might include apprenticing on the same waterway where you’ll eventually work, because knowing a river’s peculiar features (such as where sandbars are, how the tides work and where it’s deep and shallow) is critical to avoiding errors that can cost a shipping company and client millions of dollars in damages.
When you’ve finished your internship, you will need to sit for and pass the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center’s qualifications exam to earn your first-class license. Your license might limit your work, based on the ship tonnage and waterways you’re allowed to pilot.
Barge pilots must be licensed by their state’s pilot commission in almost every state, according to the American Pilot’s Association .
Some pilots become captains, while others work under captains, taking command when the captain is not on watch (i.e. taking his mandated break). This work can include overseeing crew and keeping in contact with the ship’s owner, the U.S. Coast Guard and port authorities.
To get a better feel for whether or not a career as a barge pilot is right for you, consider working as a deckhand or arrange for some type of apprenticeship so you can work several trips to see what the work is like. You can also set up informational interviews with barge captains (such as a breakfast or lunch meeting or phone call) to ask them about their jobs, how they would recommend you go about getting qualified and what the work will be like.
Barge Pilots Salary
According to SalaryExpert.com, the average base salary for a barge pilot (as of May 2020) was $95,863 , with an average bonus of $3,640 . This figure should not be used as a hard negotiating reference point for a river boat pilot salary for a variety of reasons. Factors that might affect your pay might include whether or not you belong to a union, how much experience you have, the current demand in the area where you will work and other typical salary considerations.
For example, according to a July 2020 article in the Louisiana newspaper The Advocate , river pilots in one part of the state were seeking an annual salary increase from $526,958 to $697,000 to earn the same pay as river pilots in another part of the state. Because these jobs require such specific skills and pay so well, you might find you have no room to negotiate your salary – it’s set in stone based on company policy.
To get a better handle on what barge pilots are earning where you want to work, contact the state’s pilots association and ask if they have currently salary data. You might also be able to search job sites by title and area to see what employers are offering. Many of these job sites, like Indeed and ZipRecruiter, provide average salaries of specific jobs advertised on their site, searchable by title and location.
- ZipRecruiter: What Is a River Pilot and How to Become One
- APA: Pilotage in the United States
- SalaryExpert: Barge Pilot
- The Advocate: River pilots seeking pay raise to nearly $700,000
- Marquette Transportation: Working on the River
Steve Milano is a journalist and business executive/consultant. He has helped dozens of for-profit companies and nonprofits with their marketing and operations. Steve has written more than 8,000 articles during his career, focusing on small business, careers, personal finance and health and fitness. Steve also turned his tennis hobby into a career, coaching, writing, running nonprofits and conducting workshops around the globe.
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River Boat Captain Career
*A job as a River Boat Captain falls under the broader career category of Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels. The information on this page will generally apply to all careers in this category but may not specifically apply to this career title. Job Description for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels : Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
Is Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessel the right career path for you? Take the MyMajors Quiz and find out if it fits one of your top recommended majors!
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessel Career
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The estimated total pay for a Riverboat Captain is $93,620 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $66,922 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated additional pay is $26,698 ...
Top 5 States with Higher Salaries For. Riverboat Captain in the United States: Riverboat Captain in District of Columbia: $105,187. Riverboat Captain in California: $104,223. Riverboat Captain in New Jersey: $104,024. Riverboat Captain in Alaska: $103,089. Riverboat Captain in Massachusetts: $102,834.
The average River Boat Captain salary in the United States is $56,626 per year or $27 per hour. River boat captain salaries range between $35,000 and $90,000 per year. Average River Boat Captain Salary. $56,626 Yearly. $27.22 hourly. What Am I Worth? Get Your Estimate.
River Boat Captain salaries vary depending on the company you work for, your experience level, industry, education, and years of experience. The average annual salary is around $97,047 but a River Boat Captain can earn a base salary anywhere from $36,917 to $155,129 per year with some companies paying more than others.
The average riverboat captain gross salary in United States is $71,532 or an equivalent hourly rate of $34. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $2,053. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in United States. An entry level riverboat captain (1-3 years of experience) earns ...
As of Jun 8, 2024, the average hourly pay for a River Boat Captain in the United States is $25.74 an hour. While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $48.80 and as low as $5.53, the majority of River Boat Captain wages currently range between $16.11 (25th percentile) to $30.53 (75th percentile) across the United States.
The average salary for a Riverboat Captain is $44,402 per year in US. Click here to see the total pay, recent salaries shared and more!
The salaries of River Boat Captains in the US range from $38,310 to $134,950 , with a median salary of $84,477 . The middle 60% of River Boat Captains makes between $84,477 and $101,174, with the top 80% making $134,950.
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The average salary for a Riverboat Captain is $61,877 per year in US. Click here to see the total pay, recent salaries shared and more!
MEDIAN. $89k. 90%. $158k. The average salary for a Captain, Mate, or Pilot of Water Vessels is $89,192 in 2024. Base Salary. $51k - $158k. Bonus.
The average river boat captain gross salary in United States is $93,560 or an equivalent hourly rate of $45. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $3,265. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in United States. An entry level river boat captain (1-3 years of experience) earns ...
Finding the average river boat pilot salary is tricky, due to the different titles used by these professionals. "River pilot," "barge captain" and other titles are used, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics describing these jobs as "water transportation workers" and "captains, mates and pilots" when providing salary information.
River Boat Captain Career *A job as a River Boat Captain falls under the broader career category of Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels. The information on this page will generally apply to all careers in this category but may not specifically apply to this career title. ... Salary Info. Median Annual Wage: $81,520: Median Hourly Wage ...
Average salaries for Riverboat Captain Riverboat Captain: $75,693. Riverboat Captain salary trends based on salaries posted anonymously by Riverboat Captain employees.
Despite a decline in shipping and the economy, the river pilots who shepherd vessels from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Canal Street in New Orleans want a 28% pay bump to nearly $700,000 ...
River Boat Captains jobs. Sort by: relevance - date. 100+ jobs. Summer Temp Recreation Leader- Boat Ramp Ranger. City of Seattle. Washington State. $31.63 - $42.35 an hour. Part-time +2. Weekends as needed +2. Delivering excellent customer service to all is a core value. ... Competitive salary depending on experience.
River Boat Captain demographics by race. The most common ethnicity among river boat captains is White, which makes up 79.4% of all river boat captains. Comparatively, 7.2% of river boat captains are Hispanic or Latino and 5.1% of river boat captains are Black or African American. Job Title.
The Riverboat Captain I salary range is $83,448 to $115,299 in Wilmington, Delaware. Salaries for the Riverboat Captain will be influenced by many factors.
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The average river boat captain gross salary in New Orleans, Louisiana is $90,480 or an equivalent hourly rate of $44. This is 4% lower (-$3,691) than the average river boat captain salary in the United States. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $3,158. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and ...
How much does a River Boat Pilot make? As of Jun 6, 2024, the average annual pay for a River Boat Pilot in the United States is $144,531 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $69.49 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,779/week or $12,044/month. While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries ...
The average river boat captain gross salary in San Antonio, Texas is $88,909 or an equivalent hourly rate of $43. This is 5% lower (-$4,940) than the average river boat captain salary in the United States. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $3,103. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and ...