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Intermodal driver, pilot soars to victory in 'Semi Showdown' photo contest

2020 Semi Showdown truck photo contest winning sunset photo

COVID-19 may have forced the cancellation of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament, but it couldn’t ruin Schneider’s “Semi Showdown: Truck Photo Faceoff” bracket contest.

After thousands of votes cast on Facebook, Schneider Regional Intermodal driver Nathan Young emerged victorious with his sunset shot from San Antonio, Texas.

He edged Kenyada West’s beautiful London, Ky., sky photo, 456-349 in total championship votes.

The prize and the contest

Nathan’s photo was one of over 100 submitted during the Feb. 24 – March 6 contest entry, which Schneider seeded into a 16-matchup bracket across four regions. Voting took place March 17 – April 7, which would have coincided directly with the NCAA basketball bracket.

Nathan won a prize package, including:

  • A Schneider-branded zip-up hooded sweatshirt.
  • Schneider tote bag.
  • Ride of Pride military tribute truck coins.
  • Schneider sticker.

Check out the full bracket below and the full contest details on our contest launch blog post, and you can scroll to see each match-up on the Schneider Truck Driving Jobs Facebook page.

Schneider Showdown 2020 bracket

The perfect sunset at the perfect time

With 37,000-plus photos on his iPhone 11 Pro, Nathan loves taking photos — for friends, family and the broader truck driver community.

If last year’s winner was any indication, voters love a good sunset photo, but it was a bit of luck that put Nathan in the right spot to capture the winning shot:

“I was swapping out trailers and happened to be there when the sun was setting, and it gave out the perfect sunset with the clouds hitting it just right. … I like the angle from where I took it since you can see the sunset right through the truck.”

Here’s a quick collage of photos Nathan has captured during his time with Schneider:

Schneider driver Nathan's phone images

By traveling the country, drivers are often in position to capture beautiful photos. Share yours anytime through Schneider’s Facebook and Instagram.

From pilot to police to professional truck driver

Nathan has been a Schneider driver since July 2016, but it was an interesting journey before that:

  • Born in Minneapolis, Minn., grew up in Orlando and Port St. Lucie, Fla., then moved to Miami and then Dallas, Texas.
  • Earned his airplane pilot’s license in 2010 while still in high school at age 17 — before even his normal driver’s license.
  • Pursued a degree in criminal justice to pay for flying and graduated from the police academy in 2015.
  • Got close to landing a few law enforcement opportunities, but a year after graduating, decided to try commercial truck driving.
  • Graduated from SAGE truck driving school in Fort Pierce, Fla., before choosing to start his driving career with Schneider.
“The pure real reason I picked Schneider is because their main goal is safety. It’s a driver’s decision to park it, plus Schneider is all about keeping paperwork updated and equipment DOT legal, and they won’t make you drive overweight or make you go out of your hours. It’s one thing with the company saying it versus drivers actually backing it up.”
Schneider driver Nathan's phone images


Since starting with Schneider, Nathan has enjoyed being able to move into different types of driving positions without leaving the company:

  • Started with Van Truckload Over-the-Road out of Atlanta, Ga., and enjoyed visiting family all around the country.
  • Switched to a Dedicated account hauling freight for a large national retailer out of Midway, Ga., and liked working consistently with the same customers.
  • Switched to Intermodal overnights in Fort Worth, Texas, then to Regional Intermodal, where he is now, enjoying the different type of work.

Congratulations to Nathan on his career progression at Schneider and for winning this year’s Semi Showdown photo contest!

What will your career path look like?

Whether you want to grow within one role or switch to different types of driving jobs, your career path potential is endless. Of course you can’t progress until you start, so what are you waiting for?

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Schneider Guy loves the "Big Orange." He's passionate about the trucking industry and connecting people to rewarding careers within it. He's been the eyes and ears of our company since our founding in 1935, and he's excited to interact with prospective and current Schneider associates through "A Slice of Orange."

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