I too am seriously considering getting into the transport business after I retire in 3 1/2 years.
A few months ago, after selling a sick CJ on Ebay, I met the transport guy when he came by to pick it up. He happens to live in the B'ham area and only takes South East jobs (GA, MS, AL, TN, north FL).
He is a LLC, has a 2 car trailer, but was considering a 3 car (which would put him under DOT regs, where you have to log mileage from state line to state line, and purchase fuel in each state, and be subject to drive time limits, etc). Anyway, he says he clears $1200+ a week. Skeptical, I did the math and it is very doable.
He is a member of 4 different sites that advertise transport jobs. He did not mention bidding for jobs. What I gathered was that he queried the sites, picked the jobs he wanted, and took off. He said he was spending $100-150/day in diesel with a Chevy Duramax, shortbed, crewcab, gooseneck, SRW. He packed meals in a cooler to cut costs and stayed in cheap hotels.
For instance: if you have a pick up in Savannah GA, that is going to Nashville TN, you pick it up and then grab another car in Asheville NC on the way. The Ashville car is going to Memphis TN. So, 24 hours and 1450 miles later, you are back home from a big circle trip.
Costs: Fuel $450, hotel/food $150
Breakdown: B'ham/Savannah, 395 miles @ 6hrs
Savannah/Asheville, 310 miles @ 5 hrs
Asheville/Nashville, 294 miles @ 4.75 hrs
Nashville/Memphis, 212 miles @ 3.25 hrs
Memphis/B'ham, 232 miles @ 4 hrs
Gross Pay: Savannah/Nashville job = $495 for 495 miles @$1/mile
Asheville/Memphis job = $505 for same
Net Pay (less expenses): $400. This breaks down to $18/driving hour
So, yes it can be worth it if you plan correctly. Taking a single pick up and then dead-heading home doesn't make you money. 4-5 pick ups a week can make you pretty good money, ie; $1200+. Mileage deduction is $0.51/mile IIRC, plus other write offs. Insurance, bonding (if required), initial vehicle purchase ($15k-50k), trailer ($5-9k), and other misc expenses.
The guy I spoke with seemed pretty happy, but keep in mind that you would be on the road a few days a week, or maybe just overnight once a week in the above scenario. Regardless, if you are selecting jobs from a national shipper like my driver was, instead of bidding for them, then I think it's a worthwhile endeavor. The shipping company was out of Phoenix, called me for vehicle info and such, and told me their driver would call me for final pick up notice. I was expecting a tractor/trailer to pull up, not a pickup truck.
Good luck
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