step deck vs car hauler

not sure if this is the best place to ask but trying to compare
lets talk about new equipment :
new car hauler trailer and stinger combo 100k vs 40k step deck
car hauler maintainanance is just a kill (hoses , moving metal parts , cylinders) - step - nothing i guess (i am not counting brakes , tires and axles - both trailers have them)
mpg - my 2000 pete does 4.7 , i am guessing step should doing around 5.5-6mpg (considering 1999 kw900 with 2015 doonan)
rates - car hauler does $3 per mile all year round , step - i would say average 2.25-2.5 (i have 2 good friends 1 step another flat)
only advantage with car hauler i see that auctions works late , dealership cars can be dropped even at night
i just had major changes in my company (i have 4 stingers) , one driver left due to health issues , another one disappeared without notice and 3rd one became smart ### oversudden and i couldn't handle him anymore (2 out of 3 drivers were working steady for 3 year). i forgot when i went on vacation , during weekdays i help drivers to pick up cars with spare truck (not every day) , friday/saturday/sunday usually busiest days for me - trucks needs to be serviced , something needs to be repaired etc to be ready to leave monday ....not enough time for family
i am in business since 2011 and did drive for maybe a year at the beginning OTR , at the moment i started driving again in august and normally i leave my yard monday morning about 9am (i live 3 miles away) and comeback home wednesday 3pm 10pm ...sometimes thursday 3am doing 2000 miles weekly on dedicated route to east coast . thursday and friday is usually local work picking up cars for next week ...usually 8 hour day . i have one more driver at the moment who doesn't give me any issues yet
just asking to share your thoughts and experience in here
p.s. i am not the guy who's looking for easiest and top paying job , just doing as much research as i can before i switch the field if ever . ideally it would be regional work with oversize and heavy haul but i doubt i wanna move there immediately without proper knowledge of securement . i do my work professionally and take pride , thinking to change due to much headache and stress in car hauling . i might be mistaken - maybe your field even worse

 

I started in 2011 with 2010 ford f350 and kaufman 4 cars - everyone told me : dude just get 7 car trailer , i got 7 cars wally mo - everyone told me : dude just get 9 cars ....finally i got 9 car , another , another....
here is my example : my fuel cost to the east coast at the moment $1100 ... with 8 cars it will be 750 less , i would say 9th car covering most of the fuel cost .
another reason having 9 cars : possibility to load wide variety of cars and not being over on trailer axles , like most of the 7 and 8 car hauler have (i talk to them too) ....unless you very selective in cars

 

i would say its bare min i get , from time to time i have 3.5 rarely 4 .....i run one way 850 miles , its optimal for me at the moment with time i spent and complexity of work , i would say dedicated route . if i would run regional - you can make 5-6 per mile , but much more work loading/unloading , equipment stress due to millions stops

 

i count every single mile : loaded half way , completely , empty
i drive 850 miles for 28-3000 one way and 34-4000 back plus loading miles and unloading , its not one pick-one drop

 

from my point of view cross county is good if you are super lazy because the pay is low (unless of course you have own customers ....but if you are talking central dispatch - i doubt you can make $3 a mile)