Randy Chamness

Vice President of Vessel Operations, American Commercial Barge Line

Randy Chamness is vice president of vessel operations for American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL). He started his career on the river in 1993 as a deckhand. He became licensed in 1997 and has held a Master of Towing since then. Chamness became a Lower Mississippi River pilot for a few years before being promoted to captain. He came shoreside as a port captain in December 2011. In 2015, Chamness was promoted to director of river operations for the Lower Mississippi, then to vice president of vessel operations-northern region in January 2023.

Randy has spent two terms as LOMRC (Lower Mississippi River Committee) chairman from 2020-2022 and 2024-2025. Additionally, Randy serves as ACBL’s representative on the RIETF (River Industry Executive Task Force) starting in 2025. Due to his contributions in industry, he received the Certificate of Merit from the USCG in 2023.