Key Highlights

• Earnings strengthen despite soft freight market: C.H. Robinson reported a 20% year-on-year increase in adjusted operating income, achieving its mid-cycle operating margin targets in both North American Surface Transportation (NAST) and Global Forwarding despite continued weakness in freight demand.
• Lean AI transformation delivers results: The company’s AI-driven operating model has generated more than 60% productivity improvements across NAST and Global Forwarding since the end of 2022, enhancing efficiency, scalability and customer service.
• Market share continues to grow: C.H. Robinson’s NAST business outperformed the Cass Freight Shipment Index for the 13th consecutive quarter, while its less-than-truckload (LTL) business recorded its 10th straight quarter of year-on-year volume growth.
• Improved profitability through disciplined execution: Stronger revenue management, pricing capabilities and multimodal solutions enabled the company to maintain profitability amid rising spot rates and ongoing freight market volatility.
• Shareholder returns remain strong: During the quarter, C.H. Robinson returned $301 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases while continuing to invest in technology and operational transformation.

C.H. Robinson Delivers Strong Q2 Performance as Lean AI Strategy Drives Productivity and Market Share Gains

July 30, 2026 — C.H. Robinson has reported a strong second-quarter performance for 2026, delivering higher earnings and expanding operating margins despite continued weakness in the North American freight market.

The global logistics provider posted a 20% year-on-year increase in adjusted operating income, reflecting the success of a multi-year transformation centred on Lean operating principles, artificial intelligence and disciplined execution.

The results come as freight demand remains subdued, with the Cass Freight Shipment Index declining on a year-over-year basis for the 15th consecutive quarter. Despite these challenging market conditions, C.H. Robinson achieved its targeted mid-cycle operating margins in both its North American Surface Transportation (NAST) and Global Forwarding businesses.

Transformation Strategy Continues to Deliver

President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Bozeman said the latest results demonstrate the progress made since the company’s transformation programme began three years ago.

“When I became CEO three years ago, we committed to delivering higher highs and higher lows across freight market cycles. Our second-quarter results are yet another example of delivering on that commitment,” Bozeman said.

The company’s operating margin in NAST expanded by 280 basis points to 40.9%, excluding restructuring costs, while Global Forwarding increased its operating margin by 470 basis points to 33.4%, highlighting improved operational efficiency across both business units.

Lean AI Powers Productivity Gains

A key driver of the company’s improved financial performance has been its Lean AI strategy, which integrates artificial intelligence directly into operational workflows rather than using it solely as an automation tool.

Since the end of 2022, productivity has improved by more than 60% across both NAST and Global Forwarding, enabling the business to scale operations while enhancing customer service and decision-making.

Chief Financial Officer Damon Lee said disciplined execution combined with AI innovation continues to strengthen the company’s financial performance.

“Our Q2 results demonstrate again how disciplined execution and our Lean AI strategy are driving secular earnings growth and meaningful progress against our strategic priorities, including market share gains, gross profit optimization, and improved operating leverage,” Lee said.

According to Arun Rajan, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, the company’s AI strategy is focused on improving how work is performed rather than replacing employees.

“This is not about automating tasks or taking people out of the process. It is about fundamentally improving how work gets done, raising the level of service we provide to our customers, and improving the quality of work and experience for our employees, all while enabling the business to scale more efficiently.”

The company said AI agents are now embedded across the quote-to-cash lifecycle, helping simplify workflows, improve data quality and provide faster, more consistent customer experiences.

North American Surface Transportation Continues to Outperform

C.H. Robinson’s North American Surface Transportation business continued to outperform the broader freight market during the quarter.

Shipment volumes exceeded the Cass Freight Shipment Index for the 13th consecutive quarter, while the company’s less-than-truckload (LTL) operation recorded its 10th consecutive quarter of year-over-year volume growth, reinforcing its competitive position despite softer market conditions.

The company also managed to maintain truckload adjusted gross profit per shipment despite rising spot market rates and increasing contractual freight volumes.

According to Michael Castagnetto, President of North American Surface Transportation, improved pricing strategies and stronger market intelligence enabled the company to offset pressure on contractual margins during the quarter.

He noted that enhanced revenue management and better cost visibility have significantly improved C.H. Robinson’s ability to respond to changing freight market conditions compared with previous market cycles.

Positioned for Long-Term Growth

Beyond the quarterly financial results, management believes the company remains in the early stages of its transformation journey.

Bozeman said the combination of Lean principles, proprietary AI capabilities and continuous operational improvement has created a more agile and resilient logistics organisation capable of delivering stronger performance throughout freight market cycles.

The company expects continued investment in AI-powered capabilities to further improve productivity, enhance customer outcomes and strengthen its competitive position as market conditions evolve.

During the second quarter, C.H. Robinson also returned $301 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, underlining confidence in its financial strength while continuing to invest in long-term growth initiatives.

With freight markets expected to remain challenging in the near term, the company’s ability to combine operational discipline with technology-driven innovation positions it to capture additional market share and improve profitability as demand recovers.