Jps Team
Simply stated, Jacobsen's pilots are the top of their field. By tracking captains for years and recruiting the best in the marine industry, Jacobsen Pilot Service (JPS) maintains the most stringent hiring requirements in the US.
After coming on board, JPS pilots go through a rigorous three-year training program, completing between 2,500 and 3,000 jobs, all of which are supervised and critiqued by senior pilots. The pressure of observations prepares them well for the highly skilled maneuvers they will make on a daily basis as they take over for captains, who are unfamiliar with the unique hazards and local conditions of the Port of Long Beach.
Each and every JPS employee is carefully selected and trained. Every boat operator and dispatcher has extensive sea experience before being hired—whether coming from the fishing industry, life guards, or off-shore supply boats.
JPS is unique in that its dispatchers are also boat operators, rotating from the dispatch watch to boat operations watch on a regular basis. This method ensures that a professional mariner speaks to ship’s captain over the phone or VHF radio, making Vessel Traffic recommendations to vessels calling the Pilot Station.
Whether in the office or in the field, JPS’ flexible professionals are able to do many jobs. Even JPS’ maintenance workers wear many hats—as mechanics for both boats and cars, as drivers, and as maintenance generalists—keeping operations running smoothly at all times.
Team Effort Statement
"The Jacobsen Companies are relatively small companies that must be efficient to remain profitable. This means that each employee, regardless of position, is responsible for being flexible and doing the necessary task, whatever it may be, to make the company as efficient as possible. To demonstrate our commitment to superior service, we must live up to our quality policy and core values. We operate critical businesses that have a lot at stake. Teamwork is essential in such businesses. We rely on each other to provide consistent, safe and reliable customer service. We always strive to have the most effective team possible. All employees are expected to note any unsafe or abnormal situations, and alert management immediately." ~ Thomas A. Jacobsen
