Pilot pay vs Captains pay.

Discussion board focusing on Great Lakes Shipping Question & Answer. From beginner to expert all posts are welcome.
up north George

Re: Pilot pay vs Captains pay.

Unread post by up north George »

The tonnage bonus is a thing of the long past. IMO Pilots do have to deal with a variety of different vessels and crews. That said Masters can switch vessels and run any boat they get on and are responsible for crew management dealing with customers , the office. Setting up winter work list. Maintenance of their vessels USCG ABS ect. Whenever training future Captains we always tell them once you learn to "run" "handle" the boat you've done the easy part now you get to deal with all the everyday BS. The Pilots do a good job but all they have to worry about is navigating to from and making the dock. They also have strict rules about sleep times and late in the year will sometimes operate only during daylight operations. The lake pilots do their own handling which in a lot of areas a harbor pilot will come on. They both do sometimes difficult jobs. The senior pilots can make a lot of money.
Guest 146

Re: Pilot pay vs Captains pay.

Unread post by Guest 146 »

[/quote]
There are definitely bonuses attached to tonnage performance.

If the customer requires 1 Million tonnes this season, the companies do incentivize the meeting of their customer's goals. Some Captain's performance bonus is in the same ballpark as signing bonuses.[/quote]

That may be true at some companies, but not all. If the ship is directed by a traffic office on which cargoes to carry, how could his choices impact how much tonnage is carried. There may be a performance bonus influenced by how well the company does... but it likely isn't tied to a certain vessels' tons carried. The Captain isn't dispatching the vessel.
Guest

Re: Pilot pay vs Captains pay.

Unread post by Guest »

Guest146 wrote:
Guest wrote:
RCRVRP wrote:In a different thread pilots were discussed so I looked on the net to see what pilots are paid. Looks like 300 to 600 dollars an hour. Some pilots making several hundred thousand a year.
In another place it said captains make 135,000 a year and up.
Do pilots routinely make more than captains?
Seems odd if thats true.
I've never worked on the lakes but I've been told that captains a payed based off the tonage they haul. Is that true?
That is not true.
There are definitely bonuses attached to tonnage performance.

If the customer requires 1 Million tonnes this season, the companies do incentivize the meeting of their customer's goals. Some Captain's performance bonus is in the same ballpark as signing bonuses.
Guest

Re: Pilot pay vs Captains pay.

Unread post by Guest »

Guest146 wrote: That is not true.
Ah it seems I was hazed...
Guest146

Re: Pilot pay vs Captains pay.

Unread post by Guest146 »

Guest wrote:
RCRVRP wrote:In a different thread pilots were discussed so I looked on the net to see what pilots are paid. Looks like 300 to 600 dollars an hour. Some pilots making several hundred thousand a year.
In another place it said captains make 135,000 a year and up.
Do pilots routinely make more than captains?
Seems odd if thats true.
I've never worked on the lakes but I've been told that captains a payed based off the tonage they haul. Is that true?
That is not true.
Guest

Re: Pilot pay vs Captains pay.

Unread post by Guest »

RCRVRP wrote:In a different thread pilots were discussed so I looked on the net to see what pilots are paid. Looks like 300 to 600 dollars an hour. Some pilots making several hundred thousand a year.
In another place it said captains make 135,000 a year and up.
Do pilots routinely make more than captains?
Seems odd if thats true.
I've never worked on the lakes but I've been told that captains a payed based off the tonage they haul. Is that true?
Guest

Re: Pilot pay vs Captains pay.

Unread post by Guest »

Not sure of the hourly compensation $306-730. I believe the pilots are salaried and are substantially higher than a captain yearly. Federally regulated 367k. I remember for a while the GL pilots were behind the curve on compensation but received an adjustment/boost in recent years to be more on par with other pilot associations.. could be different per area/district?
As far as captains I believe 135,000 is low low end, depends on extra vacation maybe. Closer to 170-180 I’ve heard is my guess. Maybe this wage hasn’t kept up with the times and adjusted like the pilots have. Seems low considering the Great Lakes captain/master are also pilots aswell of their own boat in the same waterways, also have the entire responsibility of the vessel and crew 24/7.

Either way both are highly skilled and specialized positions with a tremendous amount of responsibility.. but yes this does seem odd RCRVRP. Maybe work schedule/time off is a factor?

https://www.professionalmariner.com/gre ... -in-a-row/
Guest

Re: Pilot pay vs Captains pay.

Unread post by Guest »

RCRVRP wrote:In a different thread pilots were discussed so I looked on the net to see what pilots are paid. Looks like 300 to 600 dollars an hour. Some pilots making several hundred thousand a year.
In another place it said captains make 135,000 a year and up.
Do pilots routinely make more than captains?
Seems odd if thats true.
Yes, it is standard for a pilot to make more than a captain. Nature of how pilots associations function. Each pilot is a part owner.

135,000 is on the extreme low end for a captain. He'd have to be working an equal time schedule to be that low.
RCRVRP

Pilot pay vs Captains pay.

Unread post by RCRVRP »

In a different thread pilots were discussed so I looked on the net to see what pilots are paid. Looks like 300 to 600 dollars an hour. Some pilots making several hundred thousand a year.
In another place it said captains make 135,000 a year and up.
Do pilots routinely make more than captains?
Seems odd if thats true.
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