Filmed a few years ago, Bob - I think 2008 or 2009 - I got Lafarge to give me a short ride to film for an inland waterways programme I was doing at the time. But I think Battlestone and some of her chartered-in sisters are still working, although waterbourne tonnages have dropped due to poor water levels on the Trent.
I just had a look at the European area of inland waters on Marine Traffic, and didn't get too many vessels outside of the northern sector - but I suspect many inland waterways vessels don't appear on seagoing systems. I'll have to get a trip over there this spring.
When I last sailed through the French canals, back in 2001, there was quite a lot of traffic between the coast and Paris, some further up the Seine, but once above St Mamme, onto the Canaux du Loing and the canaux de Briare, followed by the Canal Lateral a la Loire, there was hardly any.
On one memorable occassion, two 300 tonne capacity peniche came through, and the lock-keepers were out in force, warning us to stay where we were until they passed . . talk about some excitement!
But I think I proves the point that even France's original peniche barges, 38.5 metres (126 ft) in length, 5.05 metres (16.6 ft) in breadth and a draught of 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in), with maximum height of 3.6 metres (12 ft), cannot make a living, up against the 40-tonne truck.