I think the Coast Guard will issue licenses to everyone who passes the required examinations. I realize having a Coast Guard issued license isn't going to get you a gig as a pilot on the Mississippi River. The pilots' associations have a monopoly on them, and they award them based on criteria they control (nepotism being the primary qualification). It is the criteria of the pilots' associations that cause the 10 year training period.

So the child of a pilot becomes a crew member at 18. He spends 10 years getting paid while undergoing the training the pilots' association mandates. He becomes a pilot by 30. He has at least 25 years of earning >$400,000. That's at least $10 million of career earnings.

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Posted by Aubie Spr96

lolwut?

Member since Dec 2009

41369 posts

Posted on 10/5/15 at 2:38 pm to Poodlebrain

They will end up pricing themselves out of a job. NPR did a nice story on the Longshore strike out in California. The result of which will ultimately lead to other ports opening in places like Mexico and having the goods delivered from there via rail for significantly cheaper and more reliably.

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Posted by tgrbaitn08

Member since Dec 2007

146214 posts

Posted on 10/5/15 at 3:35 pm to Poodlebrain

quote:
I think the Coast Guard will issue licenses to everyone who passes the required examinations.

It's not just taking examinations..you have to put in the time. From your link...

quote:
you must have between 12 and 36 months aboard a ship of more than 1,600 gross register tonnage, of which at least 12 are spent in the deck department standing watch and steering the ship.

You really think you're just going to wake up one day and get a job working in the deck dept of a cargo ship with ZERO maritime education or experience? Requirements to get a job like that take years to complete, which includes work experience and education.

quote:
You must have between 12 and 20 round trips through the area for which you seek the pilot endorsement, and 25 percent of those trips must be made at night. The last trip must have been made within six months of the examination date.

again, this will not happen 12 months from the date you decide you want to obtain a pilots licence.

quote:
Study and Training
Take a USCG-approved radar observer's course. Take a first aid and CPR course from a USCG-approved provider. Memorize the “Navigation Rules."

quote:
Paperwork
Submit the application for endorsement as a First Class pilot, using USCG Form 719-B, available from the National Maritime Center's website. Submit three letters of reference, testifying to your good character. Have your doctor complete USCG form 719K, the results of a physical exam. Submit DOT drug test results that are less than six months old. Submit letters from employers, testifying to your sea service, including proof that you have crossed the waters upon which you wish pilotage. Submit the certificate of completion from a USCG-approved radar observers course and proof that you have taken a first aid and CPR course from a source acceptable to the Coast Guard. Submit the receipt from Pay.gov, indicating you have paid for the examination and the issuance of your credential. The REC will notify you of the place, date and time of your First Class pilot examination.

quote:
Testing
Pass the navigation rules examination with a score of 90 out of 100. The test consists of 20 questions regarding both the inland and international navigation rules, ship maneuvering, pollution prevention and navigation systems. Additionally, the exam includes questions about working with charts and radiotelephone communications, as well as questions for pilots who will bring large sailing vessels into port.

quote:

Additional Testing
Because safety is the primary concern in licensing a pilot, the exam may include any other subjects the REC may deem necessary. For example, if in the New Orleans Regional Examination Center, pilotage is only required on the Mississippi River. As part of your examination, you are required to draw an accurate chart of the 33-mile section of the river where you wish pilotage with all features, including the shoreline, any underwater obstructions, shoals, reefs, transitory sandbars and water depth as of the date of the examination -- available on a weekly basis as part of the Local Notices to Mariners, published by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

Not going to happen in 12 months buddy..sorry to burst your bubble.....

Now this is from the Bar Pilots website....Ive already posted it once but I'll post it again since you didn't seem to comprehend it the first time...

quote:

Becoming a Bar Pilot takes time and experience. By the time one becomes a State Commissioned Bar Pilot they will have:

Earned an undergraduate degree
Minimum one-year at sea on ocean going vessel
Obtained a USCG first class Pilot license
Served several years in the Bar Pilot apprentice training program
Completed nearly 1,000 trips with a State Commissioned Bar Pilot along the waterways we serve.

This means that before becoming a Louisiana State Commissioned Bar Pilot, an individual must dedicate almost a decade of education and training.