To work as a longshoreman, you need to meet the basic longshoreman requirements before a union will consider you: be at least 18 and authorized to work in the United States, hold a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), clear a background check and drug screening, pass a physical, and complete safety training. Even with all of that in hand, you still have to get through a union hiring window, which at most U.S. ports opens only occasionally.
Who Can Apply
You must be 18 or older and legally authorized to work in the United States, whether as a citizen, lawful permanent resident, or someone holding valid work authorization tied to your immigration status. Most ports and unions also expect a high school diploma or GED. The reading requirement is practical: longshoremen have to follow hazardous cargo markings, equipment safety checklists, and manifest documentation, and misreading any of that on a dock puts people in danger.
The TWIC Credential
Anyone who needs unescorted access to secure areas of a port, marine terminal, or vessel must hold a valid TWIC before that access is granted.1eCFR. 33 CFR 101.514 – TWIC Requirement There is no way around this. No TWIC, no longshore job.
You apply online or in person at a TSA enrollment center. You’ll provide biographical information and identity documents (a current U.S. passport, or a combination such as a driver’s license plus birth certificate), get fingerprinted, and have a facial photo taken. TSA then runs a security threat assessment against criminal databases and terrorism watchlists. The agency recommends enrolling at least 60 days before you need the credential, because processing can exceed 45 days when demand is high.2Transportation Security Administration. TWIC
A new TWIC costs $124 as a non-refundable fee and is valid for five years. If you already hold a valid hazardous materials endorsement on a commercial driver’s license or a FAST card, the reduced rate is $93. Renewal runs $124 in person or $116 online, and replacement cards for lost or damaged credentials cost $60.3TSA Enrollment by IDEMIA. Transportation Worker Identification Credential Once approved, you can have the card mailed to your home or pick it up at the enrollment center.
Criminal History That Can Disqualify You
The TWIC background check divides disqualifying crimes into two categories. Permanent bars have no waiver: espionage, sedition, or treason; federal terrorism crimes or comparable state offenses; murder; crimes involving a transportation security incident that caused significant loss of life, environmental damage, or economic disruption; improper transportation of hazardous materials; explosives offenses; threatening to detonate an explosive at a public facility, government building, or transportation system; and RICO violations where a predicate act involves any of the above.4eCFR. 49 CFR 1572.103 – Disqualifying Criminal Offenses
Interim disqualifying offenses carry a time limit. You’re barred if you were convicted within seven years of your application date, or released from incarceration within five years, whichever is later. The interim list covers a broad range of serious felonies including assault with intent to murder, kidnapping, robbery, arson, extortion, distribution of controlled substances, smuggling, bribery, and firearms violations, among others.4eCFR. 49 CFR 1572.103 – Disqualifying Criminal Offenses
If you’re denied based on an interim offense, TSA allows a waiver request. You have 60 days from the date TSA serves its Final Determination to submit a written request.5eCFR. 49 CFR Part 1515 – Appeal and Waiver Procedures for Security Threat Assessments for Individuals TSA weighs the circumstances of the offense, any restitution, remedies you’ve pursued, and other factors indicating you don’t pose a security threat. Waivers are not guaranteed, and further administrative review is available if the waiver is denied.
Drug Test and Physical
Expect a pre-employment drug screening as a condition of hire, and random testing throughout your career. Longshore employers and unions universally require it as part of their safety programs. Most testing follows Department of Transportation protocols and screens for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and PCP.
The work is hard on the body. You’ll stand for entire shifts, climb ladders and vessel structures, work in rain and heat, and handle heavy cargo. Most employers require a physical exam before hiring and many use a physical agility test to verify you can perform essential job functions safely. Expect to pay between $150 and $250 out of pocket for the exam depending on the provider and your location. Some union hiring halls have arrangements with specific clinics. Results have a shelf life, so an older clearance may not be accepted if too much time has passed before your start date.
Certain medical conditions limit what roles you can take. Under OSHA’s longshoring standards, anyone with uncorrected vision or hearing problems, or a condition like epilepsy that could cause sudden incapacitation, cannot operate cranes, winches, or power-operated vehicles.6Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 29 CFR 1918.98 – Qualifications of Machinery Operators and Supervisory Training That doesn’t bar you from all longshore work, but it narrows the roles.
Safety Training and Equipment Certifications
OSHA offers a 10-hour Maritime Industry outreach training course tailored to longshoring. The federal government doesn’t mandate the course by statute, but many hiring halls and terminals treat the card as a prerequisite.7Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Maritime Industry Procedures The course covers three required topics — an introduction to OSHA (including your rights and how to file a complaint), walking and working surfaces, and personal protective equipment — plus elective modules covering hazardous materials, fall protection, lockout/tagout procedures, confined spaces, and electrical safety. Completing it before a hiring window opens puts you ahead of applicants who haven’t.
Equipment certifications come later. Longshoremen operate cranes, forklifts, container handlers, straddle carriers, and other heavy machinery, and OSHA requires that only employees the employer has determined to be competent through training or experience can operate them.6Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 29 CFR 1918.98 – Qualifications of Machinery Operators and Supervisory Training The operator must also understand operating instructions and the signal code in use at the facility. For forklifts and powered industrial trucks, OSHA’s general industry training standard applies directly to longshoring operations, meaning classroom instruction, practical training, and an employer evaluation before you’re cleared to drive.8eCFR. 29 CFR Part 1918 – Safety and Health Regulations for Longshoring
You won’t climb into a crane cab on day one. Equipment certifications come after you’ve gained experience in ground-level roles: lashing containers, guiding loads, working as a utility worker. Each new piece of equipment requires separate training and employer sign-off, and moving into higher-skill equipment positions is how longshoremen substantially increase their earnings.
Getting Hired Through the Union
At most U.S. ports, hiring is controlled by longshore unions: the International Longshoremen’s Association on the East and Gulf Coasts, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union on the West Coast. The unions manage the labor pool, and they don’t accept applications year-round. Hiring windows open infrequently, sometimes years apart at a given port, and competition is intense.
When a window opens, you submit an application package including your TWIC, physical exam results, and other documentation. Some ports use a lottery to select from qualified applicants. Others prioritize candidates with family connections to current members or prior maritime experience.
The Casual List
If you’re selected, don’t expect full-time work right away. New longshoremen almost always start on a casual or identified casual list. Casuals are the lowest priority for dispatch and only get called when fully registered union members and limited registered workers can’t fill the available shifts. No guaranteed hours, no guaranteed minimum pay. Some weeks you’ll work; some weeks you won’t.
The dispatch system works on rotation. Casuals check in with the hiring hall and pick up whatever shifts remain after senior workers have been assigned. Accumulating enough hours, often over years, qualifies you to advance to limited registration and eventually full registration. Full registration brings priority dispatch, guaranteed minimums, health benefits, and pension eligibility. The path is long, and the pay difference at the end of it is large.
Workers’ Compensation on the Job
One boundary worth knowing before you start: longshoremen are not covered by state workers’ compensation. You fall under the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, which applies to employees injured on navigable U.S. waters or adjoining areas customarily used for loading, unloading, repairing, or building vessels — piers, docks, wharves, and terminals.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 33 USC 903 – Coverage Longshoremen satisfy the status test by definition.10U.S. Department of Labor. Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act Frequently Asked Questions
Disability benefits pay two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a federal cap. For injuries occurring between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026, the maximum weekly benefit is $2,082.70 and the minimum is $520.68.11U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Notice to Insurance Carriers, Self-Insured Employers Under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act You must provide written notice of an injury to your employer within 30 days. For occupational diseases without immediate symptoms, you have one year from the date you become aware, or should have become aware, of the connection between your work and the condition.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 33 USC 912 – Notice of Injury or Death Miss those deadlines and your claim can be lost, so learn them from day one.