Rivers of Life

(pulsing energetic music) -

Narrator

A boat trip down the Mississippi is nearly 2000 miles, and can take up to two weeks. It requires concentration, experience, and nerve to steer these giants. -

Boat Driver

We work out here at a nonstop operation. It goes 24/7, 365 days a year. We work six hours on, six hours off for a month at a time. -

Narrator

After dark, search lights guide the boats along the river. With just a few feet to spare, threading the barges through the locks becomes even trickier at night. -

Boat Driver

Five hours and 59 minutes of sheer boredom, then you got 60 seconds of sheer terror, because you come down on a bridge or something like that, you're not quite shaped up for it, hoping you get through your bad spot. -

Narrator

The equivalent of 49 million truckloads of goods are transported on the Mississippi every year. It's become a vast and hectic highway, bringing cargo from across the country and carrying it south to the Gulf. (pulsing energetic music)