Deckhand Jobs With No Experience
Most towboat deckhand jobs don't ask for experience. Inland companies hire green hands, train them aboard, and pay $160–$210 a day with meals and a bunk covered while they learn. What they do ask for is a TWIC card, a clean drug screen, and somebody who actually shows up for the crew change.
Written by Capt. Alan. I hold a Master of Towing license and I've been on the river 18 years, and I started on deck like every pilot I know.
Why do towboat companies hire people with no experience?
Because deck work gets learned on deck: no classroom teaches you how a ratchet feels when a coupling is loaded up, or what a lock wall looks like coming at you at 3 a.m. in the rain, so companies hire for attitude and stamina and teach the rest. A green hand who listens is worth more to a mate than a guy with two hitches somewhere else who thinks he already knows it all.
Getting hired is the easy part, though. Keeping the job means living aboard for weeks, working outside in whatever weather the river hands you, and getting woken up for locks. The hands who wash out usually don't fail the work; they fail the schedule or the drug test.
What do you need to get an entry level towboat job?
- A TWIC card
The federal ID that gets you onto secured docks and terminals. $127 (TSA, as of October 2026), 2–8 weeks of lead time, which is why you start it first. The TWIC card guide covers enrollment, what to bring, and waivers if you have a record.
- A physical and a drug screen
The company sends you for its own physical and a DOT drug test during hiring. Expect to lift 75 lbs and climb ladders. Random testing keeps going after you're hired, so stay clean on your days off too.
- A complete application
Fill out the CrewChange application all the way through. Hiring companies only see completed profiles, and “no experience” is an honest answer we built a checkbox for.
What you don't need yet: maritime school, a captain's license, or a Merchant Mariner Credential. You'll want the MMC once you go after tankerman or the wheelhouse, and the MMC guide explains when to file for it. Anybody selling you a course so you can carry lines is selling you something you don't need.
What does a deckhand actually do?
You build and break tow, which means adding and dropping barges and laying the wire that holds them together. You walk the tow checking couplings and take up slack with a ratchet. You handle lines through the locks. Between jobs you chip, paint, clean, and help in the galley. On tank barges you'll also help the tankerman during loading and discharging, and paying attention there is how a lot of deckhands find their first raise.
Depending on the boat, you'll stand a 12-hour call watch (12 on, 12 off, on call in between) or six on, six off. Either way, the first week is the worst for sleep.
How much does a green deckhand make?
| Rotation type | Examples | Rough year at $160–$210/day |
|---|---|---|
| Two-for-one | 14/7, 20/10, 28/14 | $39k–$51k |
| Even time | 20/20, 21/21, 28/28 | fewer paid days, more time home |
That's a day rate, not an hourly wage, and you're not paying rent or groceries while you're aboard. Green hands often start on 28/14 because that's the slot that's open; once you've proven up, you get more say. Plug your own rotation into the day rate calculator, and see the deckhand pay page for how pay differs between tank barge and dry cargo boats.
How to become a deckhand without getting passed over
Answer your phone. Hiring calls come from numbers you don't know, and a full voicemail box can cost you the job before anyone hears your voice. Record a greeting with your name on it.
Be straight on your application about your record, your start date, and which rotations you'll actually work. And if your TWIC is still processing, say so and keep the enrollment receipt handy, since plenty of companies will start your paperwork with it.
Want to show up knowing something? Learn the wires with the barge wire leads guide and run the free mooring trainer before your first hitch. The full step-by-step, with costs and timing, is in how to become a towboat deckhand.
Ready for your first hitch?
One free application, read by a working captain. Complete it and your profile goes in front of inland companies that hire green hands. No fees and no recruiters, and we never ask for your Social Security number.
Start my application →Green hand questions, answered straight
How old do I have to be?
18. There's no upper limit that matters; companies hire green hands in their 40s and 50s who can pass the physical.
Can I get a deckhand job with a record?
Often, yes. TWIC has its own federal disqualifier list, and each company sets its own policy on top of that. Tell the truth on the application. Getting caught hiding something ends the conversation faster than the record itself.
What comes after deckhand?
On tank boats, tankerman is the first big step, usually 12–18 months in for a hand who takes it seriously. On dry boats the deck has its own ladder. Both roads lead to the wheelhouse, and the deckhand to wheelhouse guide lays out the sea time and exams.
Does it cost anything to apply?
No. CrewChange is free for mariners. Open positions are listed on the jobs page, and the application puts you in front of companies whether or not a posting fits you today.