chief engineer

division chief

cook

deckhand

seaman

Marquette Transportation Company

I worked 28 days in a row. 12 hours a day split into two  6 hour shifts. Alot of our work was outdoors. Picking up and dropping off barges, going thru locks and bridges and maintaining the tow so that it can be pushed up and down the river was a good portion of our work time. Rain or shine the work had to get done. In addition to this there was maintaining the boat. Keeping it clean and doing projects such as painting or possibly anything from flooring to changing light bulbs. Then theres equipment such as the yawl and barge pumps that need routine service and monthly inventories and supply orders had to be done. We did alot the same things each day but it was always different. Never new exactlay how the day was going to go. You had to improvise and go with the flow because unexpected changes were common and part of towboating. The food is good and the daily commute is short, but after about 20 days or so it starts to take its tole and the counting down the days till you get off the boat seem crucial to your existence. Its a good job that pays the bills and provides well for you but you miss alot in 28 days and the 14 off fly by.

Well in my opinion Marquette isn’t a bad place to start off at. Learn quickly and get a good idea of what you’re doing and what’s going on. Long term though being on deck I wouldn’t recommend it. Take what you’ve learned and go to a place that’s way less physically demanding before you get to making more money on deck and don’t want to take a pay cut. Then you can advance to the wheelhouse quicker pushing smaller tows. At Marquette the only way to advance to wheelhouse is to be a port mate or you have to deck and steer. I was told that you needed your upgrade to get into the steersman or what they’re calling it now posting program. So I had the opportunity to get my upgrade and I took it just for that reason. I didn’t have much steer time in other then what was logged to which they could see that. They put me in the program for 4 days then I got booted and was told I needed more deck steering. So I ended up giving up my boat that I was high mate for about a year and a half or so but I’m only a 1st mate due to the fact the captain wouldn’t give me a sr. Mate raise. All that just to go back on deck when I could’ve been told I needed more steering  to begin with. 

Overall I have really enjoyed working at marquette . I'm not married and I don't have kids so it's been a perfect fit. At the time I got this job I didn't have a driver's license or a car so it really helped me get back on my feet considering I was able to be at work everyday and not have to worry about not having a ride. Company I'd very underatanding when it comes to personal problems at home.. for example.. I've had at least 3 occasions where I had to get off the boat bc ofa f amily emergency.. I got the call around 10am and by 2pm I was getting g off at a lock and had a van there to get me and take me back to office. Never once have u ever felt belittled by the company or like I was just another employee. I just got promoted to Relief Mate and I've only worked at the company for 2 years . Show up and showout and you'll have no problem climbing that ladder like I am , hopefully i will see you all the way at the top, thats where I am headed. 

Typical Day at work, Im gonna be honest its rough, ppl yell at you if u don't know what your doing but I guess they think if they yell at you ur gonna get it done faster, but wake up, eat then start out checking tow, tighting it, then come back clean up the boat and follow orders of the captain till u come up on a lock an dam.

Learned How to lay Four an Afts, Double ups, backing an towing wires, how to go through a lock an dam, how to take care of the boat, using wrenches and picks, Splicing an eye. I learned little bits by bits

Management, Always Paying attention I know that much, but making sure the jobs are done in a safe and proper way

The Co-Workers, Some were reasonable to work with, Some were very rude, but I got along with everyone just to get the job done and to come home

Hardest part of the job, I never could get  short teir or scissor breast wires layed had trouble with them and had a hard time with tow work breaking tow apart and putting it together.

Enjoyable Time, When they feed you everyday and after your 28 days were up to go home to your family

You live on a boat with no cell phone service for 4 weeks, then you end up in Paducah, Ky with a big paycheck with 2 weeks off. The work is hard and the drop out rate is horrible. On the flip side advancement is pretty much guaranteed. They pay for your food and you live on the boat so expenses are very low. There have been times where I went several days without a meal because of horrible office management and abysmal responsibility from the wheel house. Some boats require large amounts of maintenance and I did not drink the water on most of the boats I lived on. Some I even used bottled water to brush my teeth with. There is no down time on these boats. You work 6 hours on 6 hours off. Those six hours off you are suppose to eat shower shave do your laundry write home and sleep before you are expected to do some of the hardest work imaginable. Despite all these hardships I have seen and done things I thought were impossible. If you want adventure brotherhood and a fit body then this job is for you.

Marquette is one the better companies in the inland marine transportation business but there all the same in the end. You will spend 9 to 10 months if not more out the year living on a boat with a bunch of guys you don't know. That's 2 to 3 months actual family and home time. The pay is descent if your willing to work 20 hours straight if on swing shift at a starting pay rate less than 150 dollars. Don't expect to get a raise unless your are working every single second of your shift and you've made best buddies with the mate or captain. If they have the slightest notion they don't like you your gone and off to another boat. On the upside there boats are some of the nicer ones and if you don't mind dealing with safety policies every single second you won't mind working for. I do recommend them as an employer if you are looking to get into industry.

Any company on the river is going to work you hard. At Marquette you will work just as hard and sometimes harder depending on the stretch of river, if you’re on a live on boat. But in 10 trips riding on the lower Mississippi, I was able to immediately save money and go back to school. It’s an easy job to do once you get it but it’s physical work. If you can handle being gone for 4 weeks and home for just under 2 weeks, do it. If I can do it you can too. I got promoted to Senior Deckhand quickly simply because of my hard work ethic. Ignore the stern captains, just do your job and be safe, and you’ll be just fine. The rigging is heavy, your back, legs, shoulders, arms, will hurt. You don’t get a lot of sleep unless you do it right. So you have to be willing and ready to work hard. Get through the first few days and it’s cake.

Piloted twin screw 7,000hp towing vessel up and down Mississippi River pushing both Loaded and Empty integrated tows with mostly dry cargo. I learned more and more day by day about how to do job as safely and efficiently as possible. Super management throughout complete company. Super co-workers. As Relief Captain I was responsible for up to 10 crew members during each and every trip. Trips lasted 30 days and off time was 15 days. Hardest part of job was keeping track of day to day changes in current throughout Mississippi River System. Most enjoyable part was getting to see places from St Paul Minnesota all the way to New Orleans, and many other waterways as well.

My regular boat had some problems but like I said it was all due to the lack of responsibility of the Captain.  I have rode with other Captains and enjoyed them all.  You can’t put judgements on everyone due to 1 persons bad behaviors.  I enjoyed going to all the safety meetings before I left Marquette to board   The office personnel were all ways good to me, I learned a lot from them and tried to install it in the crew

What is the best part of working at the company?
Meeting great people , explaining my experience and gaining the knowledge to move forward in this field 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The company dose in force trip rotation when it gets slow and don’t let know until after the fact that you have been laid off 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Good most of the time had some rough moments do favoritism 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Waking up on time for watch change eat ,job briefing do tow work in timely fashion move on to the next stop repeat practice safety drills

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Chief engineer 17 salaries reported	$99,853 per year
Division chief 10 salaries reported	$100,000 per year
Cook 5 salaries reported	$49,500 per year
Deckhand 1 salary reported	$26.30 per hour
Seaman 2 salaries reported	$51,965 per year

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