The profession of burlaks today seems surrounded by the romance of pre-revolutionary times and the spirit of freedom. However, in reality, it was a hard and exhausting job.

Burlaks did not choose this life out of good fortune. People who found themselves at the bottom of society, drunks, homeless individuals, and repeat offenders, turned to this field. They worked as burlaks for a short time, mainly due to the harsh conditions. They had to pull multi-ton vessels loaded with cargo, raft timber, and sometimes stand waist-deep in icy water.

On the banks of the Volga and its tributaries, one could also find women's burlak crews. Clients did not care about the physical endurance of women, and they were also forced to pull vessels upstream.

According to researcher I.A. Shubin, in the 19th century, the work of burlaks looked like this: a drum with a rope was installed on the barges. People would sit in a boat, take the end of the rope with anchors, and paddle upstream, dropping the anchors into the water. The burlaks on the barge would pull the rope, winding it onto the drum, thus moving the barge upstream. They would walk backward while the deck moved forward. After winding the rope, they would repeat the process. They only had to pull along the shore when the vessel ran aground, as depicted in Repin's painting, which was a rarity.

They worked for a small wage, no more than 10 rubles, which often did not reach their families, as burlaks would drink it away. Burlak crews were closed communities bound by mutual responsibility. Contracts often included obligations to pay fines for errant workers.

The expression "big shot" originated from burlaks and referred to the strongest worker who led the group.

In the Russian Empire, the city of Rybinsk was called the "capital of burlaks" from the early 19th century. During the summer, a quarter of all burlaks in Russia passed through it.