The National Waterways Foundation (NWF) has commissioned and released a study conducted by the Center for Ports and Waterways, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, titled Evaluating Employment by Inland Waterways Operators.
Supply chain disruptions since the COVID-19 pandemic intensified focus on transportation workforce availability and employment conditions. This study examines employment characteristics of the inland waterways industry, comparing it to the rail and trucking sectors, while quantifying the economic impact of inland waterways jobs on the national economy.
Compared to employment in the trucking and rail sectors, waterways positions require no prior experience, and offer advancement based on merit, the opportunity to acquire additional certifications, and reliable scheduling of work periods. The trucking sector currently faces a critical driver shortage, high turnover rates, irregular work schedules, and health issues arising from the sedentary nature of the job. Railroad jobs have similar issues with irregular, unpredictable work schedules, and have faced significant reductions in the workforce in recent years.
Inland waterways employment also offers several other advantages, including safety, compensation, work-life balance, and job security. Inland waterways transportation is significantly safer than rail or trucking, with 1/25th the fatalities of rail operations, and 1/120th the fatalities of trucking operations.
Median compensation for inland waterway transportation jobs exceeds trucking wages and is near rail wages, while offering a more predictable work schedule, with lower turnover. The sector also offers job security as these jobs cannot easily be automated, and demand for these positions is expected to continue to grow in the future.
An IMPLAN-based economic impact analysis was conducted to determine the impacts of waterways employment on the national economy. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data including employment numbers and wages were used as inputs into the IMPLAN model. Inland waterways jobs have a total economic output, including direct, indirect, and induced impacts, of $36.1 billion annually, contribute $10.2 billion to labor income, and support 127,500 jobs. Additionally, inland waterways employment contributes $4.2 billion in tax revenue nationally.
A video and a brochure that highlight the advantages of working in the inland waterways industry were also developed in conjunction with the study and will be provided to school guidance counselors around the country.
“National Waterways Foundation is proud to have commissioned this study by Texas Transportation Institute that finds inland waterways employment offers several advantages over similar jobs in other transportation sectors, Our industry also generates substantial national economic benefits while providing entry-level positions that can develop into skilled careers without requiring a college degree,” said Cherrie Felder, Chair of the National Waterways Foundation.
“NWF’s work continues to create conversation around the criticality of the U.S. inland waterways, which is the most energy efficient, safe, and environmentally sound surface mode to transport America’s critical commodities,” she continued.
The National Waterways Foundation (NWF) has commissioned a study just released by the Eno Center for Transportation titled “Benefits and Beneficiaries of the Nation’s Inland Waterways.”
Today’s commercially navigable inland waterways system, under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies, extends almost 12,000 miles and transports more than 500 million tons of goods annually, including bulk, oversize, and overweight commodities. The Eno study explores the multitude of beneficiaries of the U.S. inland waterways system that are not related to commercial operators’ use of the inland waterways for transportation.
The National Waterways Foundation (NWF) has released updated waterways profiles for the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The new state inland waterways profiles and a methodology document detailing how the data was calculated for the profiles is available here:
https://nationalwaterwaysfoundation.org/foundation-studies/economic-impact-by-state
NATIONAL WATERWAYS FOUNDATION ELECTS TRUSTEES
AND OFFICERS
Paducah, KY – At its meeting held December 6, 2022 in Paducah, Kentucky, the
National Waterways Foundation (NWF) has re-elected the following Trustees:
Today, the National Waterways Foundation (NWF) has launched a new, improved website, www.nationalwaterwaysfoundation.org. The new site offers more simplicity and functionality for users, and highlights the NWF’s leadership, commissioned studies and state waterways profiles, press releases and news, video resources, and a Donate Now button.