What is the true value of a captain’s confidence in his ship? How much is a deckhand’s happiness really worth?
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The prince of loyalty
In December 2013, American Commercial Lines took its tallest river tug, the R.P. Gettelfinger , out of service for 7 months. But the crew still worked during that time, completely overhauling their ship. They gutted it, replaced the old engines with more powerful ones, and upgraded the steering system. They improved the lighting and soundproofed all the rooms. They even installed multiple Wi-Fi signals and satellite TV. And they added 400 tons of steel to the hull. All told, the refurbishment of the R.P. Gettelfinger cost $8 million, and ACL has undertaken dozens of such projects in the last few years. In short, it was an expensive investment for the company – especially because it didn’t need to be done.
Or did it?
A VITAL LINK IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN
The R.P. Gettelfinger operates on the Lower Mississippi River, towing up to 49 barges. That’s six-and-a-half acres of cargo. When you consider that a common truck can only carry eighteen tons of cargo, but each barge can hold 1,800 tons, you can see why river tugs are still our most efficient method of transportation.
But the job isn’t easy, especially on the Lower Mississippi. It’s an untamed river – there are no locks as there are on the Ohio and Upper Mississippi Rivers, so the current and depth can vary wildly from day to day. Some of the passages are narrow. Plus, the river can be rife with shifting sandbars, dense fog, and, sometimes, even downed trees. But the really, really tight turns could be the river’s most difficult challenges. Because tugs have shallow hulls, they tend to slide – not a minor worry when you’re pushing a load that is bigger than an aircraft carrier. For an inexperienced captain or pilot, these turns are the most white-knuckled part of the journey.
And that’s why the question of experience is one ACL takes so seriously.
A PERSONAL INTEREST
Unlike oceangoing-ship captains, every captain working on inland-waterway tugs started out as a deckhand, spending his early years making his captain’s bed, cleaning his captain’s room, and making his captain’s coffee. There is no river-tug trade school; you learn on the job.
And there’s a lot to learn. A deckhand who doesn’t know how to tie off a barge properly can cause the barge to float away. Chief engineers are expected to know their engines inside and out, and to find the engine-load sweet spot that gives the best combination of power and fuel consumption. Pilots and captains must have the expertise to navigate narrow passages, turns, and river currents safely and efficiently. And the list goes on.
That means a company like ACL makes a long-term investment every time they take on a new trainee. They want employees whom they can teach to do things their way, and who will then go on to uphold the company’s high standards as pilots, chief engineers, captains, and marine superintendents.
The hours on a river tug are long – six hours on and six hours off – all day, every day for 28 days straight. And the conditions can be tough. Work on the barges continues regardless of snow, rain, searing heat or bonenumbing cold. So the turnover among new recruits is high; many people initially attracted by the good salary find they just can’t take the challenging labor and quit within the first year. But those who can make it beyond that introductory period are usually in the business for the long haul, and those are the people whose loyalty ACL works to win.
CREATING A BOND
Ken Gooding, one of the marine superintendents at ACL, says communication helps employees to feel more connected to the company. “Keeping crews informed about how the business is doing makes them personally invested in its success. We also teach our crews about the river and how it works, so they have that knowledge base to build on. Even small gestures, such as giving deckhands the reason why they are being asked to do a certain task, can go a long way towards developing trust,” he says.
And then there are the upgrades. River-tug crews spend more time per year on the vessel than at home with their families. Some have missed their babies’ first steps. ACL acknowledges these difficulties and compensates by giving their employees the comforts of home: a quiet place to sleep, a place to exercise, three good meals per day, the chance to make new friends, and the ability to Skype with loved ones at home, for example.
These efforts seem to be paying off. The R.P. Gettelfinger is named after a captain who was employed by ACL for 30 years. And that’s not unusual. Many crewmembers have been with ACL for over a decade. As Ken Gooding points out, “Since its start 100 years ago, ACL has had some of the most loyal employees in the industry”.
REAPING THE REWARDS
These days, it’s so common to hear of workplace exploitation that when a company takes the opposite approach and, at great expense to themselves, upgrades their boats just to so their employees can live better, and pays their employees well, and generally shows empathy for them the way ACL has, word tends to spread quickly. Captain Rodney Robinson, a pilot on the R.P. Gettelfinger, is one of the company’s newest recruits, having transferred from another company only a year ago. When asked what it was that enticed him to join ACL, he answers immediately:
“It was actually this boat. Her reputation precedes her. When a company puts this kind of money into a ship, you understand that they’re actually making an investment in the crew. You think to yourself, ‘They’re making a commitment to me. I want to be an asset to them."
He pauses and pats the wall of the R.P. Gettelfinger affectionately. “We love this ship. She’s a part of us.”
R.P GETTELFINGER, TOWBOAT
R. P. Gettelfinger is a river towboat navigating the narrow passages in the lower Mississippi River. She belongs to American Commercial Line and is one of their heavyweights as she is bigger then an aircraft carrier.
