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Job Description

Overview

Join American Commercial Barge Line as a Welder in Cairo, IL! This hands-on role involves repairing and maintaining the fleet of barges and vessels, utilizing welding and fitting skills to ensure operations run smoothly on America's inland waterways.

Responsibilities

  • Performs repairs of barges and equipment, including welding and fiberglass repair.
  • Cleans workspace and prepares equipment and materials to be used in repairs.
  • Serves as a mentor for new Team Members and assists with their training and development.
  • Performs all other duties as assigned.

Requirements

  • Must live within 50 miles (1 hour) of ACBL Cairo Fleet.
  • Must be 18 years of age or older.
  • Must have the ability to acquire a Driver’s License.
  • Physical fitness and the ability to perform strenuous tasks.
  • Strong teamwork and communication skills.
  • Basic understanding of navigation and safety procedures.
  • Positive attitude and adaptability to a unique work schedule.
  • Must have the ability to acquire a TWIC.
  • Stick Weld proficiency is required.
  • The ability to read repair orders and prioritize repairs is desired.
  • Must be able to pass ACBL Physical Demands Test and drug screen.

Benefits

Additional Information

  • Full-Time - Hourly position.
  • Schedule: 8 days on, 4 days off; 8 nights on, 4 days off - 12 hour shifts.
  • Location: Cairo, IL.
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How this job compares in Cairo, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $18/hr, this posting comes in about 39% below the $29/hr median for welding jobs across Illinois, where the middle half runs $23–$35/hr across 142 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 4% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. That gap is worth raising directly — in a market this size there is normally room to negotiate toward the median, particularly if you already hold the certifications the posting asks for.

The local market in Cairo, IL

This is the only active welding job we're currently tracking in Cairo, IL, which makes it worth moving on quickly — there is no local competing offer to weigh it against. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 237 other active welding openings from 174 employers. Browse welding jobs across Illinois.

The most active employers in Illinois at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are S&C Electric Company (14), Gerber Collision & Glass (9), and Aerotek (7). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Illinois, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Chicago at $33/hr and Peoria at $31/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG and Stick work. MIG (GMAW) feeds a continuous wire electrode through a shielding-gas nozzle. It lays down metal fast and is forgiving on clean material, which is why it dominates production and light fabrication work. Stick (SMAW) burns a flux-coated consumable rod and needs no shielding gas, so it works in wind, rain, and on dirty or rusted steel. That tolerance for bad conditions keeps it the default for field, structural, and repair work.

Similar openings near Cairo, IL

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Welder (Cairo, IL) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.