Cargon vs Excel — when spreadsheets start costing you money
Almost every small carrier starts on Excel. It is familiar, it is free, and for the first few trucks it works. But spreadsheets were never built to run a transport business — and the day you realise it usually costs you a margin you can never get back.
Where the spreadsheet breaks down
- No margin visibility. By the time you have copied buy and sell prices between tabs, you have already booked the load. You find out if it was profitable weeks later.
- Version chaos. “dispo_final_v3_REAL.xlsx” on WhatsApp is not a system. One overwrite and a day of work is gone.
- Manual invoicing. Re-typing every completed load into an invoice template is slow and error-prone.
- Documents everywhere. PODs, CMRs and orders live in email, phone galleries and folders — never where you need them.
Excel vs Cargon at a glance
| Task | Excel | Cargon TMS |
|---|---|---|
| Margin per transport | Manual, after the fact | Instant, before you book |
| Invoicing | Re-typed by hand | One click from a load |
| Timocom loads | Copy-paste | Text / screenshot import |
| Fleet & document tracking | Separate files | Built in |
| Multiple users | Overwrites | Real-time, multi-user |
What you get with Cargon
Cargon keeps everything Excel does well — a simple, fast overview of your loads — and adds the things a spreadsheet can never do: instant margin per transport, one-click PDF invoices and carrier credit notes, Timocom import, fleet and document management, and a POD upload link you send to your driver. All in ten languages, from €46/month.
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FAQ
Is Excel really that bad for a small carrier?
Excel is fine for a handful of loads a month. The problem starts when several people edit the same file, when you need an invoice in seconds, or when you want to know your real margin per transport. Then the manual copy-pasting, broken formulas and lost versions cost you far more than a TMS subscription.
Can I import my existing Excel data into Cargon?
Yes. You can enter loads manually, import them from Timocom by text or screenshot, or add clients and carriers as you go. Most small carriers are fully set up within 15 minutes.
How much does Cargon cost compared to Excel?
Excel is “free” but the hidden cost is your time and the margins you miss. Cargon starts at €46/month and replaces the spreadsheet, the manual invoicing and the document folders in one place.
Do I need to be technical to switch?
No. Cargon is built for carriers with 1–10 trucks who do not have an IT department. If you can use Excel, you can use Cargon — and it does the tedious parts for you.