There are more scrappers now in my areas as well. They are just expanding their areas and working even longer. Eventually most will burn out from the grind of doing this everyday. It's just not a sustainable living at less than 150 a ton. Even with lower gas prices the point of minimum wage will turn upside down on many of them and an 8$ or 10$ an hour job will start looking good. I'll keep my full time job with my seniority and benefits. Scrapping is there when I need it. I would never rely on it long term as it can be too volatile.