It's the truth. I have been in the field since 1998. I was making more sweeping at 7 cents a foot then. I have since moved onto management and make much less. Rates in every company have dropped. They never go up. Or they stay the same and require more for the rate. Some companies still backcharge for bad surveys. They do not care about quality of work anymore. It's all about these surveys now. Companies trying to flood markets taking away work from other techs. Also Per diem is rare now. And when you do get it, It's only for a month and it's not even half the hotel cost.