No offense taken here.
I can't speak of the mortality rate, as I don't know. But, I used to have similar questions. A few of my fuel hauling buddies
were barraged with questions, for months.
I've been hauling gas and diesel for just over 9 months now. I respect the product I'm hauling, but it's not nearly as "scary"
as I imagined it would be. Obviously, there are risks. In my short time doing it, I've heard of a few minor accidents; pulling
the scully cord from a rack, a minor rear end, getting side swiped by a 4 wheeler, going into a ditch, even a jackknife in the
recent ice storm. No leaks, punctures, etc... I've even had a nasty blowout. No different than pulling a box. I'll try posting a
photo from my phone.
As for hot brakes, we usually check for those at every rack, before loading.
Personally, I wish I'd have started doing it sooner. In my opinion, it's good, easy money.