C.H. Robinson revenue jumps 29.5% as Global Forwarding surges

C.H. Robinson booked $5.4 billion in third-quarter 2026 revenue, a 29.5% jump from the same period last year, as its Global Forwarding division grew revenue by 46.1% to roughly $1.15 billion. The Minnesota-based logistics giant paired the top-line surge with higher freight volumes and improved profitability across its main business units.

The numbers translate into meaningful margin expansion for shareholders and capacity-hunting shippers alike. Adjusted gross profit climbed 14.5% year over year, while adjusted diluted earnings per share rose 28.6% to $1.80. Under GAAP, diluted EPS came in at $1.67.

Global Forwarding delivered the standout performance. Ocean shipments grew 2%, yet adjusted gross profit from ocean transportation increased 23.2% — a sign the company extracted substantially more profit from each container moved. The division's operating margin reached 36.6%, an improvement of 660 basis points compared with the previous year.

Where did the truckload business land?

North American Surface Transportation (NAST), the company's truckload and less-than-truckload arm, recorded 3.5% volume growth. That figure carries weight against the broader market: the Cass Freight Shipment Index declined 0.3% over the same period, meaning NAST outgrew the US freight economy by nearly four percentage points.

This marked the 14th consecutive quarter in which NAST's annual volume growth exceeded the index. The division also reported a 17% increase in adjusted gross profit per truckload shipment and posted an operating margin of 40.3% excluding restructuring costs — up 110 basis points year over year.

How much is AI moving the needle?

The company credited part of its performance to what it calls its Lean AI strategy, which combines automation with operational improvements. Shipments handled per employee per day rose more than 15% in NAST during the quarter. Across both NAST and Global Forwarding, productivity has improved by more than 65% since the end of 2022.

"Our industry-leading cost-to-serve model is highly scalable, and we expect it to strengthen further as we harness AI's capabilities to automate more of the quote-to-cash lifecycle of a load," said Dave Bozeman, CEO of C.H. Robinson.

In October, the company rolled out new AI agents for ocean shipping, air freight and customs, aiming to automate complex freight forwarding tasks and speed up customer responsiveness.

What comes next?

The quarter also set the stage for the company's planned acquisition of RXO. C.H. Robinson expects to apply its existing operating model and AI technology to the integration process once the transaction closes. Bozeman said the acquisition would support the company's broader growth strategy, though C.H. Robinson continues to pursue organic growth alongside its planned expansion.

Shareholders saw direct returns in the quarter: the company distributed $289.1 million through dividends and share repurchases. With AI productivity still climbing and the RXO integration ahead, C.H. Robinson appears positioned to keep pressing its cost-to-serve advantage into 2027.