Key Takeaways Most bad carrier contracts don’t look bad at signing. They look bad six months later, once minimum charges, surcharges, and expired discounts start showing up on invoices. The base rate discount is the easiest number to compare and usually the least important part of the deal. A lot of the real cost sits in places people don’t think to check: minimum charge floors, the DIM divisor, and accessorial terms that change faster than base rates do. Once a contract is s