20 ports planned. One guide.
A guide to the docks — port by port.
For anyone near an East or Gulf Coast port who wants to understand the work. Smaller ports matter too, including the Port of Albany.
What's inside
- 20
Planned ports
Port of Albany, New York / New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, Miami, New Orleans, Houston, Wilmington, NC, Providence, RI, Boston, MA, Morehead City, NC, Port Everglades, FL, Port Tampa Bay, FL, Mobile, AL, Gulfport, MS, Port Arthur, TX
- 20
Years on the docks
Founded by a longshoreman with 20 years in the ILA. AI operates the guides; selected founder advice calls are planned.
- 17
Planned learning guides
Planned Full Guide for every listed port, plus the paid Mentor
How it works
- 01Pick your port
- 02Follow the path
- 03Ask the mentor
From “I heard the docks are hiring” to “I'm working casual shifts.”
The planned Full Guide will explain your port's hiring process, contacts, requirements, and casual work. Work is never promised. The Longshore Lowdown is built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp. Answers cite public sources; uncertain details need confirmation from the hall.
- 01
Pick your port
Major hubs and smaller ports share many fundamentals. Hiring, dispatch, and access rules vary. Each planned port needs its own sourced path.
- 02
Follow the path
Work the exact sequence for that port, from your first call to your first casual shift.
- 03
Ask the mentor
Stuck on a step? Ask the AI mentor and get an answer with a source attached.
Sample: Port of Houston path
Sample- 1I heard the docks are hiring
- 2Registered at the hiring hall
- 3Cleared for casual call
- 4I’m working casual shifts
Meet the mentor
Every answer comes with a source.
The AI mentor answers questions about your port, the hiring hall, and the union — and points to exactly where in the guide each answer came from.
The Longshore Lowdown mentor
Sample conversationPrice
Start with the guide. Go deeper with Gold.
Planned offers, not yet available. The Full Guide has monthly or annual billing; Gold is monthly only. 17 introductory guides are planned alongside the port paths, Mentor, and members' board. Gold adds 15 more detailed guides and two bonus guides. The library can grow; no release schedule is promised. These explain terminology, hazards, and questions to ask your supervisor—not instructions for rigging, securing loads, or operating equipment. They do not replace hands-on employer training, certification, or site safety rules.
Free
$0
Start with the overview page for your port. The Mentor is paid-only.
- Port overview pages
Full guide
$14.99per month
Or $119.99 per year
Planned paths for every listed port, including Albany, Wilmington, and Providence.
- Every covered port, step by step
- AI Mentor: up to 50 questions a day
- AI-run, with linked public sources
- Members’ board: tips, experiences, questions, and port discussions
Recommended starting membership. No calls are included in this tier.
Planned guides included
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Common dock hazards
- Reporting hazards or emergencies
- Heavy-equipment lashing awareness
- Truck cargo lashing awareness
- Chain binder types and hazards
- Cable lashing awareness
- Slinging and spreader hookup awareness
- Signaling and clear communication
- Situational awareness on the docks
- Longshore terminology: words used on the docks
- On the waterfront: longshore history and the ILA
- Learning to be a checker or clerk
- Bulk loading: cargo types, roles, and hazards
- Container loading: planning and safety awareness
- Mooring and letting go: terminology and safety awareness
- Port security: respect, access rules, and what to expect
Planned learning material, not yet available. Follow your employer's approved procedures and equipment instructions.
Gold
$29.99per month
Everything in the Full Guide, with a deeper learning library and planned advice sessions.
- 15 additional, more detailed guides: 32 core guides in total
- Two bonus guides: first-shift preparation and reading hiring notices
- Refresher quiz covering all 34 guides, with answer explanations
- Mostly AI voice advice sessions, clearly identified as AI
- Selected human career-advice calls on days the founder makes available
Selected human calls: Mondays and Tuesdays, 11am–4pm Eastern time. These are possible booking windows, not guaranteed appointments. Booking is not live. AI voice feasibility and usage limits still need testing.
Planned additional and bonus guides
- Dispatch terminology and questions for your local
- Seniority and hours records
- Benefits eligibility: reading your local’s rules
- Reading a collective bargaining agreement
- Pay statements and recordkeeping
- TWIC renewals and credential planning
- Hiring scams and personal information protection
- Fatigue and shift-work awareness
- Heat and cold exposure awareness
- Hearing hazards and protection awareness
- Slips, trips, and housekeeping awareness
- Vehicle and pedestrian separation awareness
- Suspended-load exclusion-zone awareness
- Damaged gear: recognition and reporting
- Emergency readiness and evacuation awareness
- Bonus: first-shift preparation
- Bonus: reading hiring notices
Planned learning material, not yet available. Follow your employer's approved procedures and equipment instructions.
Downloadable guide collection
$399.99 one time
Planned full collection: 32 core guides, two bonus guides, and a refresher quiz with answers for offline learning. Keep the downloaded files. This is not a lifetime membership.
No ongoing AI access, members' board membership, or advice calls. Future updates are not included or promised. The collection and quiz are not available yet. The quiz is for learning, not certification or permission to perform work.
Major and smaller ports. AI-run. Public sources.
Ready to work the docks?
- Free port overviews planned
- One membership for every covered port
