Hauling cargo is only more profitable than missions if you don't hire protection.
Even if you do hire protection, you could still get butt-raped by any pker in a VHF. Doing missions is less risky, as you won't be carrying as much cargo with you when you die, if you do. Anyway, trade routes are boring. It shouldn't take that many missions to get a new ship.

Each one learns his judgment and is assigned a place in Hell.
-Herr Von Clausen

Hauling cargo can be much more profitable than missions, if you know what routes to do. With almost no equipment (I've done it with literally only a shield), certain trade runs can net several hundred thousand round trip, even with a Rhino. That's much more than any mission you'll be able to get that the average pilot can handle in Liberty.

I'm a mercenary online. I won't be on until this weekend, and possibly not even then, depending on my schedule, but send out a broadcast in-game and see if anyone will fly escort. You could make the pay even 40-50k and end up with a profit if you make the route right. Depending on the route, I charge between 25k-75k for protection...most of that payed pending successful completion of the trade run.

This is good, what equipment are you packing?

I tend to hire multiple escorts when I trade. escorts are there to die for you, so just keep running when there's trouble. Use the chat list to see what players are in what system if you're worried about being pkilled.
sometimes, it's worth paying most of your profit to your escorts after the first major trade run you make with them. An escort is only as good as the ship he flies, and I take care of my escorts.
Then again, there is another option, find another server that doesn't have lots of pkilling involved or ones that restrict pkilling by server rules and whatnot.

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There is no knowledge that is not power.

I usually fly a Banshee with Flamecurse guns, a Graviton shield, Advanced Thruster, Adv. Countermeasure Dropper, and full shield batteries/nanobots.

Occasionally, I'll be in an Eagle with Nomad guns, but I'm gettin' bored with that.