[Hope Springs Hauler]

I have worked with several barge companies.

Pay seemed to be good enough to keep the guys loyal...

Schedule varied by company for most of the deckhands, the pilots have regulated max work times (like CDL drivers)
Schedules that I have seen have ranged from weekly to 2weeks on/2weeks off, to 1month on/1month off.

There are different groups to get into as well. There are local crews that move stuff around a facility or town, mid-range that take loads from l-ville to cinci, etc and there are line haul jobs that you would take stuff to New Orleans and Pittsburgh.

The farther that you go and the longer you stay out, the more you make.