Parker Towing

What Parker Towing does

Parker Towing Company, Inc. is a family-owned inland marine transportation firm headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, operating commercially since 1940. The company runs a diversified fleet of towboats (700 to 4,600 horsepower), open and covered hopper barges for dry bulk, and 30,000 BBL tank barges for liquid cargo including asphalt and petroleum products. Its commercial footprint spans primary service on the Black Warrior, Tennessee-Tombigbee, Tennessee, Cumberland, and East Canal Waterways, with extended reach to St. Paul MN, Chicago IL, Pittsburgh PA, and Houston TX, supported by six company-operated marine terminals in Alabama and Tennessee. Parker Towing also owns Whistler Machine Works (Mobile, AL, since 1980) and Snow's Machine and Welding, providing machining, welding, fabrication, and rebuild services to marine and industrial customers.

Name

Parker Towing

Legal name

Parker Towing Company, Inc.

Website

https://parkertowing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Parker Towing Company is a family-owned inland marine transportation firm operating towboats, hopper barges, and tank barges across US waterways, serving coal, steel, cement, petroleum, and forest products industries with integrated terminal and machine shop services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inland Barge Transportation

NAICS

Inland Water Freight Transportation (483211), Inland Water Transportation (48321), Marine Cargo Handling (488320)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Barge & Offshore Towage (Barge Moves, Rig/Platform Tows) (TLAHAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Terminal & Shipyard Towage (Intra-Port/Facility Moves) (TLAHAHAI), Bulk Transloading & Intermodal Bulk Transfer Facilities (Rail/Truck/Conveyor/Barge) (TLAHABAN), Breakbulk & Project Cargo Handling (Heavy Lift, Out-of-Gauge Handling) (TLAHALAH)

Keywords

• Inland barge transportation
• Marine towing services
• Bulk commodity shipping
• Port terminal operations
• Machine shop services

Headquarters

HQ city

Northport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Marine Transportation Services: Service-based revenue from cargo affreightment, towing services (long-haul and regional movements), fleeting, shifting, and harbor services. Transportation of dry bulk commodities (steel, aggregates, coal, forest products, grain, cement, asphalt) and liquid cargo (petroleum products) via barge fleet.
2. Terminal and Port Operations: Revenue from stevedoring operations and terminal services spanning multiple locations across Alabama and Tennessee. Intermodal cargo handling and storage services.
3. Machine Shop Services: Whistler Machine Works provides machining, welding, fabrication, and equipment repair/rebuild services to marine and manufacturing industries in the Mobile, Alabama area since 1980.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Parker Towing provides inland marine transportation and logistics services for industrial bulk commodities using towboats, hopper barges, and tank barges. Its services include cargo affreightment, towing, tank-barge liquid cargo movement, stevedoring and terminal handling, and related marine and industrial machine shop services.

Product overview

Parker Towing Company operates as a fully diversified marine transportation company offering an integrated suite of barging and logistics services. The core offering consists of the Parker Power towboat fleet (ranging from 700 to 4,600 horsepower) and Parker Barge Fleet (open and covered hopper barges plus 30,000 BBL tank barges) for transporting bulk commodities including coal, steel, aggregates, petroleum products, cement, and grain across inland waterways. This is complemented by six port and terminal facilities (Nashville Marine Terminal, Port of Decatur, Birmingham Marine Terminal, Centre South Port, Pickens County Port, and Tuscaloosa County Port) that provide stevedoring and intermodal transfer services linking barge, truck, and rail. The company also operates two machine shop subsidiaries: Whistler Machine Works (specializing in marine and industrial repair/fabrication since 1980) and Snow's Machine and Welding (CNC machining and plasma cutting services).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nashville Marine Terminal: Marine terminal operated by Parker Towing for intermodal cargo transfer
• Port of Decatur
• Birmingham Marine Terminal
• Centre South Port
• Pickens County Port
• Tuscaloosa County Port

Products and services

• Cargo Affreightment Service
• Towing Services
• Tank Barge Operations
• Ports & Terminals Services
• Whistler Machine Works
• Snow's Machine and Welding

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 barge equals 65 tractor-trailer trucks or 15 rail cars in hauling capacity
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Waterways OperatorscoreOthersCertified member of the American Waterways Operators: Responsible Carrier Program. This certification demonstrates Parker Towing's commitment to environmental protection and safe maritime operations on inland waterways, meeting industry standards for environmental compliance and operational safety.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• McAllister Towing: McAllister Towing is a long-established tug and barge operator on the U.S. East Coast, Gulf, and inland waterways, with overlapping fleeting, shifting, and harbor services comparable to Parker Towing's harbor offerings.
• Marquette Transportation Company: Marquette operates a fleet of towboats and barges transporting dry and liquid cargo along U.S. inland waterways, with comparable customer segments in aggregates, grain, steel, and petroleum products.
• CGB Enterprises (CGB Marine): CGB operates an inland barge line and terminal network focused on grain, fertilizer, and other dry-bulk commodities, providing a comparable barge-plus-terminal platform competing for similar industrial and agricultural customers.
• American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL): ACBL is a large inland barge operator with a diversified hopper and tank barge fleet across the Mississippi River system, competing head-to-head with Parker Towing in dry-bulk commodity haulage and bulk affreightment.
• Ingram Marine Group: Ingram Marine Group is one of the largest operators of hopper and tank barges on the U.S. inland waterway system, directly comparable to Parker Towing in fleet scale, dry-bulk cargo mix, and barge-line business model.
• Canal Barge Company: Canal Barge is a New Orleans-based inland marine transportation and terminal services company with hopper barges and fleeting operations, closely mirroring Parker Towing's integrated barge-and-terminal model.
• Heartland Barge Management: Heartland Barge operates inland towboats and hopper barges primarily on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois River systems, providing a comparable regional dry-bulk barge service offering for industrial shippers.

Broad incumbents

• Kirby Corporation: Kirby is the largest domestic tank barge operator and a major inland marine transportation provider with a public-market profile, offering overlapping liquid cargo and inland barge services to many of the same industrial end-markets Parker Towing serves.
• Genesis Energy: Genesis Energy operates one of the largest U.S. tank barge fleets transporting crude oil, refined products, and asphalt, overlapping Parker Towing's 30,000 BBL tank barge asphalt and petroleum product service.
• SEACOR Holdings: SEACOR is a diversified marine services holding company with inland towage, harbor services, and marine logistics exposure, broadly comparable to Parker Towing's range of barge, terminal, and marine support activities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/216498185217932

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Parker Towing