2021 Featured Female Truck Driver wins 2022 ‘Semi Showdown’ photo contest

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Since 2019, Schneider has been holding the annual Semi Showdown photo contest, a competition where truck drivers submit their best Schneider truck photos and compete to see whose photo is the best in the eyes of Schneider's followers.

This year, about 40 contestants submitted photos for the competition. Out of the 40 images submitted, 16 were selected to compete in the final championship bracket.

This year's winning image was submitted by training engineer and Schneider’s 2021 Featured Female Truck Driver, KayLeigh McCall.

Meet this year’s winner – KayLeigh McCall

KayLeigh began her driving journey as a school bus driver in 2015, before eventually obtaining her Class A CDL and working at a construction company while driving a mixer truck.

KayLeigh came to Schneider in 2020, and has since become a Dedicated truck driver and training engineer and was selected to be Schneider’s Featured Female Truck Driver in 2021.

On a normal day, you can find her hauling sea containers in and around Savannah, Ga., and mentoring new truck drivers. When she’s not driving or training new students, KayLeigh can be found spending time with her husband, their four children and pets.

KayLeigh’s winning photo

When asked if she takes a lot of pictures, KayLeigh said photography is somewhat of a hobby for her. She went on to say that she especially enjoys taking pictures in the Pennsylvania mountains during fall.

“I like to take photos of anything I see on the road,” she said. “Whatever catches my eye.”

When asked what inspired her to take her Semi Showdown winning picture, KayLeigh said she took it on a whim while she was visiting Schneider’s facility in Garden City, Ga. a few months prior to the competition.

Using photography to share her experiences with others

KayLeigh said taking pictures on the road helps her share what she sees and experiences every day as a truck driver. She often uses social media as a tool to make her content more visible and accessible to others.

"Of course, there’s a lot of things that I can’t get pictures of because I’m driving,” KayLeigh said. “But if an opportunity presents itself for me to stop and take a picture of something, I’ll take the picture and share it.”

In fact, since starting at Schneider, Kayleigh has played a prominent role in the Schneider community by regularly interacting with other Schneider drivers and Schneider content on social media.

"I interact with a lot of truck drivers and a lot of family members of truck drivers as well to help them see what their family member experiences on a daily basis," KayLeigh said.

KayLeigh hopes sharing her experiences will help people understand what it means to be a truck driver and assist other drivers when they find themselves in a similar situation.

“I’d like to give everyone a clue about what’s going on,” KayLeigh said. “They might find themselves in a similar situation at some time and they might need that information. They might say, ‘Hey, I think I remember seeing something about this, maybe I can go back and look.’”

What’s next for KayLeigh?

KayLeigh has accomplished a lot since coming to Schneider in 2020. She's taught new Schneider drivers how to be safe and successful out on the road, earned the title of Featured Female Truck Driver and has now won the Semi Showdown competition.

When asked what’s next on her list of goals, KayLeigh said she’d like to continue advocating for truck drivers by becoming a Schneider Driver Ambassador.

She said she’d like to use the new role to educate others about the trucking industry and lifestyle.

“I’d like to let people know what it’s like out here,” she said. “I'd also like to share things that I've learned through my experiences that could either help a new driver or an experienced driver. It’s never too late to learn something new.”