The scholarship committee of the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA) is pleased to announce an editorial internship program for undergraduate communications students whose course of study has placed emphasis on journalism and/or public relations. One selected intern will be placed with a TWNA member company for 9-12 weeks during the summer session of each year.

2010 Summer Session Hosts
For the 2010 summer session, the TWNA internship will be hosted by the one of the following member companies, located closest to the selected intern’s summer residence location:

Land Line Now - Grain Valley, Missouri
Land Line Now is the first daily news and information radio program designed specifically for America's truck drivers. The program follows a basic NPR-style format - a daily newscast opening the show; several longer stories that can cover anything from serious regulatory issues to stories about truckers' lives; and each show ends with an update on legislation affecting the industry. Land Line Now is not a live show - the entire daily presentation is pre-recorded, and in some ways, operates more like a recording studio than a live radio operation.

The ideal intern for Land Line Now should be a journalism major with an emphasis in broadcast, with strong news writing and interviewing skills, voice experience, an interest in the technical end of radio production - and perhaps most of all, a willingness and ability to learn quickly. The intern will work with sound engineers, and reporters, as well as learning about the more mundane activities that have to be accomplished in order to keep a daily program on the air.

Successful Dealer/Truck Parts & Service - Des Plaines, Illinois
Successful Dealer magazine is written exclusively for truck and trailer dealers, leasing companies and truck body and equipment dealers. Covering all aspects of dealership operations, Successful Dealer is aimed at the dealership’s management team and focuses on helping them run their businesses more efficiently. Successful Dealer also publishes a weekly e-newsletter.

Truck Parts & Service magazine is written for independent truck service and repair operations, independent truck parts distributors, truck stops and the parts and service departments at new truck and trailer dealerships. Truck Parts & Service covers big picture industry issue subjects as well as how to repair and maintenance procedures. Truck Parts & Service also publishes a weekly e-newsletter.

The ideal intern for Successful Dealer/Truck Parts & Service should be a journalism major with a strong emphasis on writing. He or she should have strong interviewing and editing skills. A mechanical/technical background is helpful, but not required. The intern will work with the editors of Successful Dealer and Truck Parts & Service to edit press release and research and write feature-length articles for the publications. The intern will also help with the weekly e-newsletters and with monthly Webinars.

Internship Requirements
The internship program requirements include:

* - Completion of at least two years of post-secondary education, entering junior or senior year at college, pursuing studies in journalism and/or public relations.

* - Availability to work four, eight-hour days per week (32 hours) for no less than 9 nor more than 12 weeks.

* - Submission of a completed application packet by no later than March 1, 2010, containing the following:

* - Completed internship application form and agreement, W-9 form, resumé, and college transcript.

* - Two letters of recommendation (on letterhead) from business owners/managers.

* - Letter of recommendation (on college letterhead) from the student’s academic advisor, and a statement from the college verifying that the internship is appropriate to the student’s course of study, and that the student will be receiving course credit for the internship.

* - An essay of approximately 600 words about improving trucking’s public image, edited into three versions, one for print, one for the internet, and one for broadcast.

* - At least three (non-returnable) samples of bylined work.

Internship Stipend
The intern’s duties at the host company are provided on a volunteer basis with no compensation provided. To offset the intern’s cost of living during the summer session, and to encourage further study in the field of trucking industry related journalism, TWNA will provide the intern with a stipend, half of which will be paid upon successful completion of the first six weeks of the internship, and the remainder to be paid upon successful completion of the full internship.

Internship Application Form & Agreement - PDF File