Captain Al Casper reviews the upcoming crew-change manifest scheduled for the following day. Unlike most office work, towboat schedules are not based on the common 9-5pm workday. Instead, crews are required to live aboard for 28 day tours, or in some cases, up to 150+ days. During that time, each will be tasked with a 12 hour split shift every day. The front watch, often directed by the Captain, is from 5am-11am and 5pm-11pm. The back watch fills the gap between 11pm-5am and 11am-5pm. The Captain is responsible for approving and assigning shifts for incoming crew members to compliment the remaining crew, as schedules are rarely changed after assigments are established. On the river, a briefcase and a suit are replaced by luggage and a life vest.
A towboat passes by at night on the Tennessee River, casting red, white and blue flood lights on their carried tow.
