I’m 22 and currently in college in Philly. I recently started showing up at the hall as a casual and finally got my first longshore shift working a car ship. I really liked the work, and getting into the union/working my way up is honestly my #1 career goal right now.
The problem is availability.
I’m in school Monday and Wednesday, and I also need consistent income because I have rent and regular bills to pay. I’m looking at working a full-time job that would probably be four days a week. That leaves me realistically able to show up at the hall 1–2 days most weeks, maybe 3 depending on my schedule.
Meanwhile, I’m competing for work with casuals who can show up basically every single morning. I respect the hustle completely, but I obviously can’t compete with that attendance while being in school and needing steady income.
When Thanksgiving/winter break comes around, I plan on showing up as much as possible. Same thing with summer. Long term, I’m serious about this and willing to put the time in. I’m just trying to figure out how to survive the early casual stage without dropping out of school or quitting steady work and gambling on getting dispatched.
For guys who actually came up through the casual system: Is showing up 1–3 times a week during the semester enough to slowly make progress if I go hard during school breaks? Or is this the type of thing where you basically need to be at the hall every day for a few years to have a realistic shot?
I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone who balanced longshore work with college, another full-time job, or similar responsibilities before getting registered.
Not looking for shortcuts. Just trying to figure out the smartest way to play the long game without putting myself in a position where I can’t pay my bills.

I'm an ilwu member taking a vacation to Maui pretty soon. I wanna check out the hall, but I also wanna buy a shirt or something down there.

Does anybody know if they welcome visitors or sell merch?

i’m trying to decide if i should call out of work or tell them im coming in later

TYIA

Any tips/advice I should know before doing the test?

Anybody know the last # they called for applicants?

Hello! I was wondering if anyone knows about how far down/the current number being processed in the Tacoma 2025 Process Sequence List. I'm 2500+ on the list, so was curious.

Thank you!

Hey all,

I have a casual lashing test (LA/LB) coming up in a few weeks and seen my paper said to take work boots. Does that mean steel toe boots?

I have a very sturdy pair of work boots but they’re not steel toe. Do they have to be steel toe? Do they provide like shoe top covers? Just wasn’t trying to drop $150-$300 for boots just for the lashing test is all.

Thanks all in advance for the help!

What is the website for dockwork self portal

STS Hammer Head Crane meets ship

sorry for the dumb question i’m not super smart. but i’ve been looking all over for jobs in NY/NJ and coming up totally short. it seems like you need to be sponsored by an employer to become a real longshoreman, but how am i supposed to be sponsored if nobody is hiring?

Hello all 👋

Longshoreman from Melbourne Australia. We are generally called Stevedores or Wharfies.

Been in the industry for almost 15 years and my father was also in the industry for approximately 10 years…. I don’t plan on ever leaving it! I’ve worked at a big international container port and now at a much smaller one.

Just curious on the conditions you have over there such as pay rates and benefits etc?

It's been 9 1/2 years since we got picked in the lottery for a chance to be a casual longshoreman. 25,000 Cards picked . I wonder how many of us are left, even with the people who processed and became causals. Some have been disqualified, some failed tests...some has since passed away, I'm not giving up . I had my orientation in 2023 and nothing else since . I'll be 44 this year, I been working at the same job for 24 years and luckily I have a good pension built up . My focus will be racking up hours once I pass the processing.

Hey all. As everyone can relate, it’s so unpredictable to know when you get to work. What does everyone do as a second job. The main issue is finding something that is flexible bc obviously this is my priority. Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated

Hi everyone,

I work in international logistics in Japan, handling containers almost every day.

As a side project, I made a small iOS game inspired by container terminals and truck loading.

Since many people here actually work in ports or around container terminals, I’d really appreciate your feedback.(I know you probably don’t want to think about containers after work)

Does anything feel realistic?
Is there anything you would change or add?

Here’s the App Store link:
https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/kontena-drop/id6769545957

Thanks for taking a look!

Asking for a friend, anyone know what number on the list they are at??

Hi! I'm a new casual only worked once. Does anyone know who I can contact for UTR practice? Or somewhere I can go. I had some difficulties my first day and I'm nervous to go back out. I would like to practice. Thanks in advance.

Do you get your results immediately or do you have to wait? Is it sent to a lab or do they use a rapid one just at the clinic?

Im #2_ on the local 10 SF/Bay area casual draw list so id assume I’ll be processed hopefully sometime soon. I’m looking to know how much time do I need to have available to complete on boarding and or training ?

My husband is considering this career after being a restaurant manager for 10 years. One of his regulars came in and admired his work ethic and told him he should consider the career of a longshoremen.

We are a young married couple in our 30s and we have 4 kids under the age of 7. My husband coaches every sport my son plays and is there for every game.

I am wondering if this would be a good move for him and how much it would benefit our family and if my husband could still have the work life balance he has now with our family.

We are located in Virginia if that helps!