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LAS VEGAS — Members of American Trucking Associations elected a new slate of officers as ATA’s Management Conference & Exhibition wrapped up here Wednesday.

As an industry as connected to the highways as trucking, we know an awful lot about roads. We know about smooth roads — those that are easy to traverse, the ones where you can feel the wind at your back and the sun on your face.

The leaders of the nation’s for-hire trucking fleets and the suppliers that serve them are gathering in Las Vegas this week to address the state of the industry as American Trucking Associations holds its annual Management Conference & Exhibition.

Trucking industry leaders will gather this week at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition to discuss recent accomplishments and prepare for the challenges of the upcoming year.

Trucking industry leaders will gather this week at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition to discuss recent accomplishments and prepare for the challenges of the upcoming year.

American Trucking Associations unveiled several spotlight events of its 2012 Management Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for Oct. 7-10 in Las Vegas.

The total number of people killed in traffic crashes jumped 9% in the first half of 2012 to 16,290, the largest increase in first-half fatalities since the federal government started tracking the statistic.

Trucking was one of the most dangerous industries for workers last year, when 474 workers died on the job, a 13.9% increase over the previous year, the Labor Department said in a preliminary report.

Nearly 12 months ago, I proudly accepted the title of chairman of American Trucking Associations, thus beginning one of the most exciting and exhausting years of my professional life, and an experience I’ve been humbled and honored to have.