The verdict in three sentences
A transport manager at a food manufacturer is not looking for 'a refrigerated haulier', they are looking for a partner who can run a specific lane, at a specific temperature, with audited traceability. The website of an Amsterdam haulier must therefore present its flows (chilled, frozen, pharma), its IFS Logistics, ATP and GDP credentials, and above all a lane-based quote form that turns a visit into a usable tender. One annual contract worth 300,000 EUR in revenue pays for the site within days of margin.
What a shipper checks before inviting you to quote
The managing director of a 48-truck company near Amsterdam serves demanding shippers: meat and dairy processors, retail distribution centres, seafood importers handling reefer containers from Rotterdam, pharmaceutical distributors. Their selection grid is well known and the site has to answer it before the first call.
| Shipper criterion | Proof to display | Weight in the decision (2026 estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Quality certification | IFS Logistics, ISO 9001 | Knock-out for retail |
| Equipment compliance | Valid ATP certificates, FRC class | Knock-out |
| Temperature traceability | Data loggers, exports, alerts | Very high |
| Pharma flows | GDP compliance, 2 to 8 °C qualification | Knock-out for pharma |
| Network coverage | Lane map, frequencies, port pick-ups | High |
| Service level | On-time rate, claims, damage | High |
| Commercial responsiveness | Time to answer a quote | Medium to high |
A site displaying this evidence with real figures (for example 98.7 % on-time delivery over 12 months) passes the first screening. A generic site is discarded without a call.
Market rates and the quote page
Price per kilometre depends on the flow, load factor and empty return. Publishing indicative ranges does not commit the haulier, but it filters out unrealistic requests.
| Service | Observed rate (2026 estimate, EUR) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Full load chilled 0 to 4 °C | 1.5 to 1.9 per km | 33 pallets, rigid or trailer |
| Full load frozen minus 25 °C | 1.7 to 2.1 per km | Reinforced reefer unit |
| Qualified pharma 2 to 8 °C | 1.9 to 2.3 per km | Validated logging, GDP |
| Reefer groupage | 25 to 55 per pallet | By zone and lead time |
| Rotterdam port container pick-up | 350 to 600 per move | Terminal waiting time extra |
| City distribution Amsterdam | 380 to 500 per day | Zero-emission zone constraints |
| Fuel surcharge | Indexed monthly | Published diesel index |
The quote form asks for origin and destination, number of pallets or weight, temperature range, weekly frequency and start date. The shipper can also upload a lane spreadsheet, the standard format for transport tenders. Your planning team then prices from clean data.
Site scope and investment tiers
Pages per flow structure the site: chilled, frozen, seafood and port flows, pharma, city distribution. Each page states the temperatures held, the equipment, the main lanes and one shipper reference, anonymised if needed.
| Kolonell tier | Budget | Typical scope | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1,220 to 1,830 EUR | Flow pages, certifications, simple form | 5 weeks |
| Growth | 1,830 to 3,050 EUR | Lane-based quotes, file upload, lane map | 6 weeks |
| Premium | 3,050 to 5,340 EUR | Shipper portal, logger data download, CRM or TMS link | 7 weeks |
| Maintenance | 53 to 183 EUR per month | Security, backups, updates | Monthly |
| Monthly SEO | 100,000 to 350,000 FCFA per month | Queries such as 'koeltransport Amsterdam', flow pages | Monthly |
A Dutch agency typically charges 10,000 to 30,000 EUR for a comparable site, as a 2026 order of magnitude. Connecting a specific TMS is assessed in the quote.
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Mini case study
Sander, managing director of a 48-truck haulier near Amsterdam, currently receives 3 quote requests a month, mostly by referral. He picks Growth at 2,800 EUR, with 75 EUR per month of maintenance. After six months the site produces 11 requests a month, 4 of them with a complete lane file. Over a year his team signs 2 new shippers: a chilled flow of 12 loads per week over 420 km from Rotterdam, and a groupage contract. The first is worth 12 × 420 × 1.7 × 48 weeks, or 411,264 EUR of annual revenue. At a 4 % net margin that is 16,450 EUR, against a first-year site cost of 2,800 + 12 × 75 = 3,700 EUR.
FAQ
Should we publish per-kilometre rates?
Indicative ranges per flow are enough, with a note on the fuel index. They prevent about 1 request in 4 that is out of budget.
Can a shipper upload their tender file?
Yes, from Growth the form accepts a lane spreadsheet up to 20 MB. Your planners get a notification and the file is stored outside public access.
How do we prove temperature traceability?
Show the logger type and an anonymised sample report. On Premium, the shipper portal lets clients download a delivery's records within 24 hours.
Does the site need Dutch, English and German?
That depends on your shippers in Germany and Belgium. Languages are set in the quote.
How long until launch?
Plan 5 to 7 weeks depending on the tier, including one week to collect certificates and service figures.
Let's scope your project. Flow pages, lane-based quotes and a shipper portal: we define the scope and a 5 to 7 week schedule. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
