Towboat Pilot Jobs: Steersman, Wheelman and Master of Towing

Wheelhouse pay on the inland rivers runs $500–$750 a day, the biggest jump on the whole ladder. But towboat pilot jobs go to people holding the right license with the right route on it, and a company has to trust you with its boat. Here's what each seat is, what it takes, and what companies look at when they hire for the wheelhouse.

From Capt. Alan. I hold a Master of Towing license and I've spent 18 years on the river, most of them in the wheelhouse. I climbed this ladder from the deck.

Steersman, wheelman, pilot, master: what's the difference?

On the river, wheelman and steersman usually mean the same seat. Getting “cut loose” means the company trusts you to run a watch alone, and that's where pay jumps the most. Rates and rotation math are on the wheelman and pilot pay page.

How do you get a steersman job?

You earn the steersman license with sea time and an exam. You need 540 days of sea service, with 360 of them on towing vessels and 90 on the route you're applying for. Deckhand time counts toward the total, and on a two-watch towboat working 12-hour days, each day aboard counts as a day and a half.

The Western Rivers exam is five modules. Four pass at 70%. Rules of the Road passes at 90%, which means five wrong out of fifty, and that's the one that sends people home. Drill it for months on the free Rules of the Road practice test. Coast Guard fees run $240 for the application, exam and issuance.

Then a company has to put you in the seat. Most want a solid stretch on deck or as a tankerman first, so they know how you handle yourself before you're steering their tow.

From steersman to Mate (Pilot) of Towing

Two things happen while you steer. You build steering time, since Mate (Pilot) of Towing takes 30 months of total service including 12 months as steersman, plus your route time. And you complete the TOAR, the Towing Officer Assessment Record, a checklist of real wheelhouse skills like flanking, landings, locks and tow work. A Designated Examiner has to watch you do each item and sign it off. No TOAR, no mate's license, so find out early which officers in your fleet are DEs and steer for them every chance you get.

Watch the route, too. A licensed mate needs 90 days of observation on the Western Rivers before standing a wheel watch there if the route isn't already on the license.

What does Master of Towing take?

Master of Towing comes at 48 months of total service, including 18 months as mate. It's the top of the towing ladder. Be honest with yourself about the clock: the federal paperwork from green deckhand to mate can be done in about 3 years, but for most hands it's 5 years or more, because the company's trust takes longer than the Coast Guard's minimums. The deckhand to wheelhouse guide lays out every rung with costs.

What do companies look for in a pilot?

A license with the route they run. A finished TOAR if you're coming in as a mate. Sea service letters that back up your time, which is why I tell every deckhand to collect one at every crew change. And a clean safety and drug-test record, because nobody hands the sticks to a question mark.

If you're already licensed, say exactly what you hold on your application: license, route, tonnage, and the water you know. That's what a hiring captain reads first.

Wheelhouse questions, answered straight