Description
Command and oversee towboat and barge operations on inland waterways and harbors, directing safe navigation, towing, and terminal/lock transits. Manage crew, cargo integrity, equipment readiness, and regulatory compliance; must hold a U.S. Coast Guard license appropriate to route and tonnage.
- • Plan and direct courses and speeds for towboats and barge tows using knowledge of currents, river stages, tides, weather, shoaling, and hazards.
- • Prevent unsafe towing and barge operations and enforce company and U.S. Coast Guard rules.
- • Serve as docking master for tow assembly, fleeting, and terminal approaches.
- • Consult river charts, AIS, weather, lock and bridge notices, and navigation equipment to route the tow.
- • Steer and operate towboats using radar, chart plotters, depth sounders, ranges, buoys, and lights.
- • Operate VHF radios to coordinate with dispatch, locks, bridges, terminals, and traffic services.
- • Dock, undock, and make up or break tow in narrow waterways, locks, and fleeting areas.
- • Stand wheelhouse watches and ensure proper lookout while underway and during maneuvering.
- • Inspect towboats and barges for seaworthiness, rigging condition, watertight integrity, and compliance.
- • Read and monitor gauges for engines, hydraulics, steering, fuel, lube oil, and air systems.
- • Report incidents and regulatory violations to appropriate authorities and company as required.
- • Coordinate and assist in search and rescue or spill response when directed.
- • Signal passing vessels and crew using whistles, lights, flags, and radios.
- • Verify under-keel clearance and water depths using sounders and available data.
- • Oversee maintenance of propulsion, winches, wires, fenders, firefighting, lifesaving, and navigation equipment.
- • Direct crew to rig face wires, push gear, towlines, ratchets, and safety chains.
- • Enforce lock, bridge, harbor, and terminal rules and complete required paperwork.
- • Maintain logs of wheelhouse activities, crew hours, tow configuration, positions, weather, fuel, waste, and cargo status.
- • Supervise loading and unloading to ensure cargo handling follows specifications and stability limits.
- • Compute tow dimensions, air draft, and clearances; assess current, wind, and chart contours to plan moves.
- • Train crew and qualify mates and deckhands on equipment, towing procedures, and new technology.
- • Direct crew during locking, fleeting, line handling, and equipment maintenance or repair.
- • Arrange fueling, groceries, lube oils, parts, and schedule repairs or yard periods.
- • Supervise housekeeping and deck maintenance on towboats and barges.
- • Requisition supplies and rigging and control inventories.
- • Tow, push, and maneuver single and multi-barge tows to destinations and fleeting areas.
- • Conduct environmental patrols and report oil sheens, debris, or hazards to navigation.
- • Assign watches, work-rest schedules, and bunks, enforcing fatigue management.
- • Participate in interviewing and evaluating crew and recommend hiring or promotions.
- • Conduct and document safety drills, including man overboard, fire, abandon tow, and spill response.
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
