You should only do a netif_stop_queue() in your device
initialization, at the very end of ->open() processing
when you've fully committed to returning success.
You should not, in particular, be doing a netif_wake_queue()
before you've even done a netif_start_queue().
Many of these drivers are using netif_{stop,wake}_queue()
to stop packet flow, in particular when link state changes,
and netif_carrier_{on,off}() already does all of that for
you.
Really, anything outside of:
1) netif_start_queue() in ->open()
2) netif_stop_queue() in ->stop()
3) netif_{stop,wake}_queue() in the TX packet handling path
is superfluous.