The verdict in three sentences
For a B2B refrigerated transport company, the website mainly exists to pass the shortlists of food and pharmaceutical shippers, who want to see your ATP, GDP or FSMA certifications and request a lane-based quote without calling. A well-built brochure site costs 5,500 to 10,000 USD (5,000 to 9,000 EUR) in 2026, a site with a customer tracking portal and temperature logs 15,000 to 28,000 USD (14,000 to 26,000 EUR). The choice depends on how many of your customers require online traceability, usually pharma and large retail.
What shippers check before inviting you to bid
A transport manager at a food manufacturer or a pharmaceutical wholesaler checks four things: fleet certificates (ATP classes in Europe, FSMA sanitary transport rule in the US), Good Distribution Practice compliance for health products (2-8 °C, 15-25 °C), geographic coverage and capacity (rigids, dual-temperature trailers), and delivery-by-delivery temperature traceability.
| Feature | What it delivers | Indicative 2026 cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Lane-based quote form (origin, destination, pallets, temperature range) | Qualified requests, 24 h reply | 1,300 to 2,800 |
| Fleet and certifications page (ATP, GDP, ISO 9001, IFS Logistics) | Passing shortlists | 900 to 1,700 |
| Coverage map and regular lanes | Visibility of regional and national routes | 700 to 1,500 |
| Local SEO (pages per city served) | Inbound leads without ads | 1,700 to 3,300 |
| Customer portal: delivery tracking and proof of delivery | Retention, fewer calls | 5,500 to 11,000 |
| Downloadable temperature logs (connected to onboard recorders) | Pharma and retail requirement | 4,500 to 10,000 |
Connecting to the telematics units already in your trucks (Transics, Carrier Lynx Fleet, Thermo King TracKing) avoids re-keying logs: this line can double the budget depending on how open their API is.
Three priced scenarios
| Criterion | Brochure site + quotes | Site + portal and temperatures | Status quo (phone and email) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront budget | 5,500 to 10,000 USD | 15,000 to 28,000 USD | 0 USD |
| Timeline | 6 to 8 weeks | 8 to 10 weeks | immediate |
| Annual maintenance | 650 to 1,300 USD | 2,000 to 4,000 USD | 0 USD |
| Time spent sending logs | unchanged | near zero | 4 to 8 h per week |
| Eligibility for pharma tenders | partial | full | low |
| Estimated inbound quote requests | 8 to 20 per month | 10 to 25 per month | 2 to 5 per month |
The cost of the status quo is measurable: an annual tender from a lab or retailer for 2 to 3 daily routes is worth 270,000 to 650,000 USD in revenue. Without online traceability evidence, your file is often discarded before pricing is even reviewed.
Timeline and watch-outs
Plan 6 to 10 weeks. What stretches the project: collecting current ATP certificates for the whole fleet, getting API access from the telematics vendor (sometimes 2 to 4 weeks), and agreeing on customer access rules (one account per delivery site or per shipper). Local SEO starts producing results in 3 to 6 months on queries like refrigerated transport plus your city.
Mini case study
Steve, owner of a 42-truck refrigerated carrier near Toulouse, used to lose 2 to 3 pharma tenders a year for lack of accessible temperature logs. He invests 19,500 EUR (about 21,000 USD) in a site with quotes, customer portal and log downloads. His operations team saves 6 h per week of emailing PDFs, about 9,000 EUR per year at 30 EUR loaded hourly cost. The same year he wins a route for a pharmaceutical distributor worth 320,000 EUR in annual revenue. Even at a 5% net margin, 16,000 EUR, the site pays back in under 14 months including time saved.
Need a professional website?
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FAQ
Should we publish transport rates on the site?
Rarely: prices depend on lane, pallet count and fuel. A lane-based quote form is enough and enables a reply within 24 h, which lifts conversion by 20 to 40% compared with phone only.
Is the customer portal essential?
It becomes nearly mandatory if more than 30% of your revenue comes from pharma or large retail. For a carrier focused on food SMEs, a brochure site with quotes is enough to start.
How long until we rank on Google locally?
Count on 3 to 6 months for local queries, with 4 to 6 city pages and an up-to-date Google Business Profile. Initial SEO budget is 1,700 to 3,300 USD.
Can we connect our existing temperature recorders?
Yes if the vendor offers an API or automated export, which most telematics solutions do in 2026. Integration costs 4,500 to 10,000 USD.
What annual budget should we plan after launch?
650 to 1,300 USD for a brochure site, 2,000 to 4,000 USD with a customer portal, including hosting, backups and security updates.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your fleet size, certifications and target customers: we will price a site between 5,500 and 28,000 USD, delivered in 6 to 10 weeks. 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.
