Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - shares	Jun. 30, 2018	Aug. 06, 2018
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	C H ROBINSON WORLDWIDE INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001043277
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Amendment Flag	false
Trading Symbol	CHRW
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		138,544,499

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 310,575	$ 333,890
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $39,399 and $42,409	2,202,460	2,113,930
Contract assets	182,247	0
Prepaid expenses and other	63,374	63,116
Total current assets	2,758,656	2,510,936
Property and equipment, net	228,325	230,326
Goodwill	1,265,778	1,275,816
Other intangible assets, net	130,254	151,585
Deferred tax asset	10,714	6,870
Other assets	59,557	60,301
Total assets	4,453,284	4,235,834
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	1,059,669	1,000,305
Outstanding checks	74,168	96,359
Accrued expenses:
Transportation expense	140,231	0
Compensation	99,279	105,316
Income taxes	18,393	12,240
Other accrued liabilities	66,987	58,229
Current portion of debt	66,000	715,000
Total current liabilities	1,524,727	1,987,449
Long-term debt	1,341,054	750,000
Noncurrent income taxes payable	25,364	26,684
Deferred tax liabilities	42,779	45,355
Other long-term liabilities	1,201	601
Total liabilities	2,935,125	2,810,089
Stockholders’ investment:
Preferred stock, $ .10 par value, 20,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding	0	0
Common stock, $ .10 par value, 480,000 shares authorized; 179,101 and 179,103 shares issued, 138,744 and 139,542 outstanding	13,874	13,954
Additional paid-in capital	478,451	444,280
Retained earnings	3,617,324	3,437,093
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(46,537)	(18,460)
Treasury stock at cost (40,357 and 39,561 shares)	(2,544,953)	(2,451,122)
Total stockholders’ investment	1,518,159	1,425,745
Total liabilities and stockholders’ investment	$ 4,453,284	$ 4,235,834

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Receivables, allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 39,399	$ 42,409
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.10	$ 0.10
Preferred stock, shares authorized (shares)	20,000,000	20,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (shares)	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (shares)	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.10	$ 0.10
Common stock, shares authorized (shares)	480,000,000	480,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (shares)	179,101,000	179,103,000
Common stock shares outstanding (shares)	138,744,000	139,542,000
Treasury stock (shares)	40,357,000	39,561,000

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Revenues:
Total revenues	$ 4,276,037	$ 3,710,018	$ 8,201,364	$ 7,125,143
Costs and expenses:
Personnel expenses	340,630	284,220	668,927	574,724
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	111,845	107,749	217,888	197,853
Total costs and expenses	4,057,029	3,528,198	7,790,771	6,755,365
Income from operations	219,008	181,820	410,593	369,778
Interest and other expense	(5,128)	(9,368)	(15,828)	(18,670)
Income before provision for income taxes	213,880	172,452	394,765	351,108
Provision for income taxes	54,717	61,381	93,305	117,957
Net income	159,163	111,071	301,460	233,151
Other comprehensive (loss) income	(27,512)	6,731	(28,077)	24,136
Comprehensive income	$ 131,651	$ 117,802	$ 273,383	$ 257,287
Basic net income per share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.14	$ 0.79	$ 2.16	$ 1.65
Diluted net income per share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.13	$ 0.78	$ 2.14	$ 1.65
Basic weighted average shares outstanding (shares)	139,464	141,061	139,745	141,229
Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards (shares)	1,147	526	1,215	484
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (shares)	140,611	141,587	140,960	141,713
Cash dividends declared per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.46000	$ 0.45	$ 0.92	$ 0.9000
Transportation
Revenues:
Total revenues	$ 3,953,139	$ 3,319,995	$ 7,590,779	$ 6,422,038
Costs and expenses:
Purchased products sourced for resale	3,313,196	2,781,355	6,354,798	5,345,240
Sourcing
Revenues:
Total revenues	322,898	390,023	610,585	703,105
Costs and expenses:
Purchased products sourced for resale	$ 291,358	$ 354,874	$ 549,158	$ 637,548

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	$ 301,460	$ 233,151
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	48,479	45,377
Provision for doubtful accounts	9,055	7,669
Stock-based compensation	44,704	16,842
Deferred income taxes	(9,014)	(4,988)
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	(7,502)	(10,583)
Loss on disposal of assets	668	536
Changes in operating elements (net of acquisitions):
Receivables	(214,620)	(244,682)
Contract assets	(34,483)	0
Prepaid expenses and other	5,326	(9,646)
Other non-current assets	3,243	(1,016)
Accounts payable and outstanding checks	101,770	135,130
Accrued transportation expense	45,420	0
Accrued compensation	(7,381)	(23,353)
Accrued income taxes	12,068	10,185
Other accrued liabilities	9,277	(4,611)
Net cash provided by operating activities	308,470	150,011
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchases of property and equipment	(20,569)	(24,105)
Purchases and development of software	(9,514)	(8,865)
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(1,315)	(1,780)
Other	(1,546)	(1,095)
Net cash used for investing activities	(32,944)	(35,845)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from stock issued for employee benefit plans	35,846	19,814
Stock tendered for payment of withholding taxes	(18,893)	(19,626)
Repurchase of common stock	(119,497)	(70,494)
Cash dividends	(130,559)	(128,806)
Proceeds from long-term borrowings	591,012	250,000
Proceeds from short-term borrowings	2,418,000	4,282,000
Payments on short-term borrowings	(3,067,000)	(4,430,000)
Net cash used for financing activities	(291,091)	(97,112)
Effect of exchange rates on cash	(7,750)	8,462
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	(23,315)	25,516
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	333,890	247,666
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	310,575	273,182
Noncash transactions from investing and financing activities:
Accrued share repurchases held in other accrued liabilities	2,400	0
Accrued purchases of property and equipment	$ 1,677	$ 1,500

BASIS OF PRESENTATION	6 Months Ended
BASIS OF PRESENTATION	Jun. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
BASIS OF PRESENTATION	BASIS OF PRESENTATION C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and our subsidiaries (“the company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) are a global provider of transportation services and logistics solutions operating through a network of offices located in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and our majority owned and controlled subsidiaries. Our minority interests in subsidiaries are not significant. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements. Our reportable segments are North American Surface Transportation (“NAST”), Global Forwarding, Robinson Fresh, and All Other and Corporate. The All Other and Corporate segment includes Managed Services, Other Surface Transportation outside of North America, and other miscellaneous revenues and unallocated corporate expenses. We group offices primarily by services they provide to our customers. For financial information concerning our reportable segments, refer to Note 9. The condensed consolidated financial statements, which are unaudited, have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In our opinion, these financial statements include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the financial statements for the interim periods presented. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year. Consistent with SEC rules and regulations, we have condensed or omitted certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. You should read the condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. RECENTLY ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and in August 2015 issued ASU 2015-14, which amended the standard as to its effective date. The new comprehensive revenue recognition standard supersedes all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to a customer in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard requires more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. We adopted this new standard effective January 1, 2018 under the modified retrospective transition method applied to contracts that were not completed as of the date of initial application resulting in a $9.2 million cumulative adjustment to retained earnings. We have updated our revenue recognition critical accounting policy due to the adoption of this standard and expanded the summary of significant accounting policies included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 below. The adoption of this standard changed the timing of revenue recognition for our transportation businesses from at delivery to over the transit period as our performance obligations are completed. Due to the short transit period of many of our performance obligations, this change did not have a material impact on our results of operations or cash flows. The new standard expanded our existing revenue recognition disclosures upon adoption. In addition, we have identified certain customer contracts in our sourcing business that changed from a principal to an agent relationship under the new standard. This change resulted in these contracts being recognized at the net amount we charge our customers but had no impact on income from operations. See Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements which includes the expanded disclosures required by ASU 2014-09. In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting. This update amends the scope of modification accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The ASU provides guidance on the types of changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards to which an entity would be required to apply modification accounting under Topic 718. We adopted this new standard effective January 1, 2018. The amendments in this update will be applied prospectively to awards modified on or after January 1, 2018. The future impact of ASU 2017-09 will depend on the nature of future stock award modifications. RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This update requires a lessee to recognize on the balance sheet a liability to make lease payments and a corresponding right-of-use asset. The guidance also requires certain qualitative and quantitative disclosures about the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, which will require us to adopt these provisions in the first quarter of 2019 using a modified retrospective approach. Early adoption is permitted, although we do not plan to adopt early. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements, which provides another transition method no longer requiring application to previously reported periods. We plan to adopt Topic 842 by applying the new standard on January 1, 2019 and recognizing a cumulative adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings. We have obligations under lease agreements for facilities and equipment, which are classified as operating leases under the existing lease standard. While we are still evaluating the impact ASU 2016-02 will have on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows, our financial statements will reflect an increase in both assets and liabilities due to the requirement to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets for our facility and equipment leases. We are in the process of implementing a global lease accounting software and designing necessary internal controls to facilitate the adoption of the new standard. As of December 31, 2017, we had $282.7 million of minimum future lease commitments under noncancelable lease agreements which will be subject to ASU 2016-02 once adopted. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which amends existing guidance for reporting comprehensive income to reflect changes resulting from the 2017 Tax Act ("Tax Act"). The amendment provides the option to reclassify stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Act within accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) to retained earnings. New disclosures will be required upon adoption, including the accounting policy for releasing income tax effects from AOCI, whether reclassification of stranded income tax effects is elected, and information about other income tax effect reclassifications. The amendment will become effective for us on January 1, 2019, although early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of adopting this standard on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, includes a summary of the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. We have expanded these policies below to effect the adoption of ASU 2014-09 in the first quarter of 2018. CONTRACT ASSETS. Contract assets represent amounts for which we have the right to consideration for the services we have provided while a shipment is still in-transit but for which we have not yet completed our performance obligation or have not yet invoiced our customer. Upon completion of our performance obligations, which can vary in duration based upon the method of transport, and billing our customer these amounts become classified within accounts receivable and are then typically due within 30 days. ACCRUED TRANSPORTATION EXPENSE. Accrued transportation expense represents amounts we owe to vendors, primarily transportation providers, for the services they have provided while a shipment is still in-transit as of the reporting date.

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

The change in carrying amount of goodwill is as follows (in thousands):



	NAST			Global Forwarding			Robinson Fresh			All Other and Corporate			Total
December 31, 2017 balance	$	921,486		$	185,873		$	141,185		$	27,272		$	1,275,816
Adjustments	(40		)	(268		)	—			—			(308		)
Translation	(6,305		)	(2,301		)	(942		)	(182		)	(9,730		)
June 30, 2018 balance	$	915,141		$	183,304		$	140,243		$	27,090		$	1,265,778

Goodwill is tested at least annually for impairment on November 30, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. We first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting units is less than their respective carrying value (“Step Zero analysis”). If the Step Zero analysis indicates it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting units is less than their respective carrying value, an additional impairment assessment is performed (“Step One Analysis”). Refer to Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates.

Identifiable intangible assets consisted of the following (in thousands):



	June 30, 2018							December 31, 2017
	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Finite-lived intangibles
Customer relationships	$	261,938	$	(142,249	)	$	119,689	$	263,093	$	(122,103	)	$	140,990
Non-competition agreements	300		(210		)	90		300		(180		)	120
Total finite-lived intangibles	262,238		(142,459		)	119,779		263,393		(122,283		)	141,110

Indefinite-lived intangibles
Trademarks	10,475		—			10,475		10,475		—			10,475
Total intangibles	$	272,713	$	(142,459	)	$	130,254	$	273,868	$	(122,283	)	$	151,585

Amortization expense for other intangible assets is as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2018		2017		2018		2017
Amortization expense	$	9,196	$	8,843	$	18,595	$	17,718

Definite-lived intangible assets, by reportable segment, as of June 30, 2018, will be amortized over their remaining lives as follows (in thousands):



	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate		Total
Remainder of 2018	$	3,913	$	14,744	$	—	$	—	$	18,657
2019	7,820		29,485		—		—		37,305
2020	260		26,780		—		—		27,040
2021	260		13,260		—		—		13,520
2022	260		13,260		—		—		13,520
Thereafter	354		9,383		—		—		9,737
Total									$	119,779

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT

Accounting guidance on fair value measurements for certain financial assets and liabilities requires that assets and liabilities carried at fair value be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:


•	Level 1 — Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.


•	Level 2 — Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.


•	Level 3 — Unobservable inputs reflecting the reporting entity’s own assumptions or external inputs from inactive markets.

A financial asset or liability’s classification within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

We had no Level 3 assets or liabilities as of and during the periods ended June 30, 2018, and December 31, 2017. There were no transfers between levels during the period.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS

The components of our short-term and long-term debt and the associated interest rates were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Average interest rate as of					Carrying value as of
	June 30, 2018		December 31, 2017		Maturity	June 30, 2018			December 31, 2017
Revolving credit facility	3.68	%	2.70	%	December 2019	$	66,000		$	715,000
Senior Notes, Series A	3.97	%	3.97	%	August 2023	175,000			175,000
Senior Notes, Series B	4.26	%	4.26	%	August 2028	150,000			150,000
Senior Notes, Series C	4.60	%	4.60	%	August 2033	175,000			175,000
Receivables securitization facility ⁽¹⁾	2.87	%	2.00	%	April 2019	249,854			250,000
Senior Notes ⁽¹⁾	4.20	%	N/A		April 2028	591,200			—
Total debt						1,407,054			1,465,000
Less: Current maturities and short-term borrowing						(66,000		)	(715,000		)
Long-term debt						$	1,341,054		$	750,000

⁽¹⁾Net of unamortized discounts and issuance costs.

SENIOR UNSECURED REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITY

We have a senior unsecured revolving credit facility (the "Credit Agreement") with total availability of $900 million. Borrowings under the Credit Agreement generally bear interest at a variable rate determined by a pricing schedule or the base rate (which is the highest of (a) the administrative agent's prime rate, (b) the federal funds rate plus 0.50 percent, or (c) the sum of one-month LIBOR plus a specified margin). As of June 30, 2018, the variable rate equaled LIBOR plus 1.13 percent. In addition, there is a commitment fee on the average daily undrawn stated amount under each letter of credit issued under the facility. The recorded amount of borrowings outstanding approximates fair value because of the short maturity period of the debt; therefore, we consider these borrowings to be a Level 2 financial liability.

The Credit Agreement contains various restrictions and covenants that require the Company to maintain certain financial ratios, including a maximum leverage ratio of 3.00 to 1.00. The Credit Agreement also contains customary events of default. If an event of default under the Credit Agreement occurs and is continuing, then the administrative agent may declare any outstanding obligations under the Credit Agreement to be immediately due and payable. In addition, if we become the subject of voluntary or involuntary proceedings under any bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar law, then any outstanding obligations under the Credit Agreement will automatically become immediately due and payable.

NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

On August 23, 2013, we entered into a Note Purchase Agreement with certain institutional investors (the “Purchasers”). On August 27, 2013, the Purchasers purchased an aggregate principal amount of $500 million of the Company's Senior Notes, Series A, Senior Notes Series B, and Senior Notes Series C, collectively (the “Notes”). Interest on the Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears. The fair value of the Notes approximated $491.8 million at June 30, 2018. We estimate the fair value of the Notes primarily using an expected present value technique, which is based on observable market inputs using interest rates currently available to companies of similar credit standing for similar terms and remaining maturities, and considering our own risk. If the Notes were recorded at fair value, they would be classified as Level 2.

The Note Purchase Agreement contains various restrictions and covenants that require the Company to maintain certain financial ratios, including a maximum leverage ratio of 3.00 to 1.00, a minimum interest coverage ratio of 2.00 to 1.00, and a maximum consolidated priority debt to consolidated total asset ratio of 15 percent.

The Note Purchase Agreement provides for customary events of default. The occurrence of an event of default would permit certain Purchasers to declare certain Notes then outstanding to be immediately due and payable. Under the terms of the Note Purchase Agreement, the Notes are redeemable, in whole or in part, at 100 percent of the principal amount being redeemed together with a “make-whole amount” (as defined in the Note Purchase Agreement), and accrued and unpaid interest with respect to each Note. The obligations of the company under the Note Purchase Agreement and the Notes are guaranteed by C.H. Robinson Company, a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, and by C.H. Robinson Company, Inc., a Minnesota corporation and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the company.

U.S. TRADE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE SECURITIZATION

On April 26, 2017, we entered into a receivables purchase agreement and related transaction documents with The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., New York Branch and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association to provide a receivables securitization facility (the “Receivables Securitization Facility”). The Receivables Securitization Facility is based on the securitization of our U.S. trade accounts receivable and provides funding of up to $250 million. The interest rate on borrowings under the Receivables Securitization Facility is based on the asset-backed commercial paper rate plus a margin or 30 day LIBOR plus a margin. There is also a commitment fee we are required to pay on any unused portion of the facility. The Receivables Securitization Facility expires on April 26, 2019 unless extended by the parties. The recorded amount of borrowings outstanding on the Receivables Securitization Facility approximates fair value because it can be redeemed on short notice and the interest rate floats, therefore, we consider these borrowings to be a Level 2 financial liability.

The Receivables Securitization Facility contains various customary affirmative and negative covenants, and it also contains customary default and termination provisions which provide for acceleration of amounts owed under the Receivables Securitization Facility upon the occurrence of certain specified events.

SENIOR NOTES

On April 9, 2018, we issued senior unsecured notes ("Senior Notes") through a public offering. The Senior Notes bear an annual interest rate of 4.20 percent payable semi-annually on April 15 and October 15, until maturity on April 15, 2028. The proceeds from the Senior Notes were utilized to pay down the balance on our Credit Agreement. Taking into effect the amortization of the original issue discount and all underwriting and issuance expenses, the Senior Notes have an effective yield to maturity of approximately 4.39 percent per annum. The fair value of the Senior Notes, excluding debt discounts and issuance costs, approximated $585.4 million as of June 30, 2018, based primarily on the market prices quoted from external sources. The carrying value of the Senior Notes was $591.2 million as of June 30, 2018. If the Senior Notes were measured at fair value in the financial statements, they would be classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

We may redeem the Senior Notes, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time prior to their maturity at the applicable redemption prices described in the Senior Notes. Upon the occurrence of a “change of control triggering event” as defined in the Senior Notes (generally, a change of control of us accompanied by a reduction in the credit rating for the Senior Notes), we will generally be required to make an offer to repurchase the Senior Notes from holders at 101 percent of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of repurchase.

The Senior Notes were issued under an indenture that contains covenants imposing certain limitations on our ability to incur liens, enter into sales and leaseback transactions and consolidate, merge or transfer substantial all of our assets and those of our subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. It also provides for customary events of default (subject in certain cases to customary grace and cure periods), which include among other things nonpayment, breach of covenants in the indenture and certain events of bankruptcy and insolvency. If an event of default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Senior Notes, the trustee or holders of at least 25 percent in principal amount outstanding of the Senior Notes may declare the principal and the accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all of the outstanding Senior Notes to be due and payable. These covenants and events of default are subject to a number of important qualifications, limitations and exceptions that are described in the indenture. The indenture does not contain any financial ratios or specified levels of net worth or liquidity to which we must adhere.

As of June 30, 2018, we were in compliance with all of the covenants under the Credit Agreement, Note Purchase Agreement, Receivables Securitization Facility, and Senior Notes.

INCOME TAXES	6 Months Ended
INCOME TAXES	Jun. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
INCOME TAXES	INCOME TAXES C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and its 80 percent (or more) owned U.S. subsidiaries file a consolidated federal return. We file unitary or separate state returns based on state filing requirements. With few exceptions, we are no longer subject to audits of U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax returns before 2011. We are currently under an Internal Revenue Service audit for the 2015 tax year. Our effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 was 25.6 percent and 35.6 percent, respectively, and our effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 was 23.6 percent and 33.6 percent, respectively. The effective income tax rate for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 was higher than the statutory federal income tax rate due to state income taxes, net of federal benefit, and foreign income taxes, but was partially offset by the tax impact of share-based payment awards. The tax impact of share-based payment awards resulted in a decrease in our provision for income taxes for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 of $7.5 million and $10.6 million, respectively. We have asserted that we will indefinitely reinvest earnings of foreign subsidiaries to support expansion of our international business. If we repatriated all foreign earnings, the estimated effect on income taxes payable would be an increase of approximately $15.0 million as of June 30, 2018. In connection with our initial analysis of the impact of the Tax Act, we recorded a discrete net tax benefit of $12.1 million in the year ended December 31, 2017. We have not yet completed our accounting for the income tax effects of certain elements of the Tax Act, but we were able to make reasonable estimates for elements in which our analysis is not complete and have therefore recorded provisional adjustments. During the six months ended June 30, 2018 we revised our analysis and recorded an additional net tax expense of $1.0 million related to an increase in 2017 transition taxes, resulting in a revised estimated net tax benefit of $11.1 million. Further, per FASB guidance, we are allowed to make an accounting policy election of either (1) treating taxes due on future U.S. inclusions in taxable income related to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) as a current-period expense when incurred or (2) factoring such amounts into our measurement of our deferred taxes. We have elected to recognize the tax on GILTI as a current-period expense in the period the tax is incurred. As of June 30, 2018, we have $36.0 million of unrecognized tax benefits and related interest and penalties. It is possible the amount of unrecognized tax benefit could change in the next 12 months as a result of a lapse of the statute of limitations and settlements with taxing authorities. The total liability for unrecognized tax benefits is expected to decrease by approximately $1.8 million in the next 12 months due to lapsing of statutes.

STOCK AWARD PLANS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

STOCK AWARD PLANS

Stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the value of the award and is recognized as expense as it vests. A summary of our total compensation expense recognized in our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income for stock-based compensation is as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2018		2017		2018		2017
Stock options	$	7,263	$	624	$	12,265	$	3,626
Stock awards	18,692		3,312		30,904		11,722
Company expense on ESPP discount	615		588		1,535		1,494
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	26,570	$	4,524	$	44,704	$	16,842

On May 12, 2016, our shareholders approved an amendment to and restatement of our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan, which allows us to grant certain stock awards, including stock options at fair market value and performance shares and restricted stock units, to our key employees and outside directors. A maximum of 13,041,803 shares can be granted under this plan. Approximately 3,006,181 shares were available for stock awards under the plan as of June 30, 2018. Shares subject to awards that expire or are canceled without delivery of shares or that are settled in cash generally become available again for issuance under the plan.

Stock Options - We have awarded time-based and performance-based stock options to certain key employees. These options are subject to certain vesting requirements over a five-year period based on the company’s earnings growth or on the employees continued employment. Any options remaining unvested at the end of the five-year vesting period are forfeited to the company. Although participants can exercise options via a stock swap exercise, we do not issue reloads (restoration options) on the grants.

The fair value of these options is established based on the market price on the date of grant, discounted for post-vesting holding restrictions, calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Changes in measured stock price volatility and interest rates are the primary reasons for changes in the discount. These grants are being expensed based on the terms of the awards. As of June 30, 2018, unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options was $45.9 million. The amount of future expense to be recognized will be based on the passage of time, the company’s earnings growth, and certain other conditions.

Full Value Awards - We have awarded performance-based shares and restricted stock units to certain key employees and non-employee directors. These awards are subject to certain vesting requirements over a five-year period, based on our earnings growth. The awards also contain restrictions on the awardees’ ability to sell or transfer vested awards for a specified period of time. The fair value of these awards is established based on the market price on the date of grant, discounted for post-vesting holding restrictions. The discounts on outstanding grants vary from 15 percent to 21 percent and are calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model-protective put method. Changes in measured stock price volatility and interest rates are the primary reasons for changes in the discount. These grants are being expensed based on the terms of the awards.

We have also awarded time-based restricted shares and restricted stock units to certain key employees that vest primarily based on their continued employment. The value of these awards is established by the market price on the date of the grant, discounted for post-vesting holding restrictions and is being expensed over the vesting period of the award.

We have also issued to certain key employees and non-employee directors restricted stock units which are fully vested upon issuance. These units contain restrictions on the awardees’ ability to sell or transfer vested units for a specified period of time. The fair value of these units is established using the same method discussed above. These grants have been expensed during the year they were earned.

As of June 30, 2018, there was unrecognized compensation expense of $106.9 million related to previously granted full value awards. The amount of future expense to be recognized will be based on the passage of time, the company’s earnings growth, and certain other conditions.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan - Our 1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan ("ESPP") allows our employees to contribute up to $10,000 of their annual cash compensation to purchase company stock. Purchase price is determined using the closing price on the last day of each quarter discounted by 15 percent. Shares vest immediately. The following is a summary of the employee stock purchase plan activity (dollar amounts in thousands):



Three Months Ended June 30, 2018
Shares purchased by employees	Aggregate cost to employees		Expense recognized by the company
48,991	$	3,484	$	615

LITIGATION	6 Months Ended
LITIGATION	Jun. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
LITIGATION	LITIGATION We are not subject to any pending or threatened litigation other than routine litigation arising in the ordinary course of our business operations, including 14 contingent auto liability cases. For some legal proceedings, we have accrued an amount that reflects the aggregate liability deemed probable and estimable, but this amount is not material to our condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Because of the preliminary nature of many of these proceedings, the difficulty in ascertaining the applicable facts relating to many of these proceedings, the inconsistent treatment of claims made in many of these proceedings, and the difficulty of predicting the settlement value of many of these proceedings, we are often unable to estimate an amount or range of any reasonably possible additional losses. However, based upon our historical experience, the resolution of these proceedings is not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

ACQUISITIONS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Business Combinations [Abstract]

ACQUISITIONS

On August 31, 2017, we acquired the outstanding shares of Milgram & Company Ltd. ("Milgram") for the purpose of expanding our global presence and bringing additional capabilities and expertise to our portfolio. Total purchase consideration, net of cash acquired, was $47.3 million, which was paid in cash. We used advances under the Credit Agreement to fund part of the cash consideration.

Identifiable intangible assets and estimated useful lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Estimated Life (years)
Customer relationships	7	$	14,004

There was $28.3 million of goodwill recorded related to the acquisition of Milgram. The Milgram goodwill is a result of acquiring and retaining the Milgram existing workforce and expected synergies from integrating its business into ours. Purchase accounting is considered final. The goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes. The results of operations of Milgram have been included in our consolidated financial statements since September 1, 2017.

SEGMENT REPORTING

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

SEGMENT REPORTING

Our reportable segments are based on our method of internal reporting, which generally segregates the segments by service line and the primary services they provide to our customers. We identify three reportable segments as follows:


•	North American Surface Transportation-NAST provides freight transportation services across North America through a network of offices in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The primary services provided by NAST include truckload, LTL, and intermodal.


•	Global Forwarding-Global Forwarding provides global logistics services through an international network of offices in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South America and also contracts with independent agents worldwide. The primary services provided by Global Forwarding include ocean freight services, airfreight services, and customs brokerage.

•

Robinson Fresh-Robinson Fresh provides sourcing services under the trade name of Robinson Fresh. Our sourcing services primarily include the buying, selling, and marketing of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other perishable items. Robinson Fresh sources products from around the world and has a physical presence in North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. This segment often provides the logistics and transportation of the products they sell, in addition to temperature controlled transportation services for its customers.

•

All Other and Corporate-All Other and Corporate includes our Managed Services segment, as well as Other Surface Transportation outside of North America and other miscellaneous revenues and unallocated corporate expenses. Managed Services provides Transportation Management Services, or Managed TMS^®. Other Surface Transportation revenues are primarily earned by Europe Surface Transportation. Europe Surface Transportation provides services similar to NAST across Europe.

The internal reporting of segments is defined, based in part, on the reporting and review process used by our chief operating decision maker, our Chief Executive Officer. The accounting policies of our reporting segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies. Segment information as of, and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate			Eliminations			Consolidated
Three Months Ended June 30, 2018
Revenues	$	2,878,904	$	617,597	$	621,024	$	158,512		$	—		$	4,276,037
Intersegment revenues⁽¹⁾	135,317		14,875		50,131		3,891			(204,214		)	—
Total revenues	3,014,221		632,472		671,155		162,403			(204,214		)	4,276,037
Net revenues	436,813		144,031		55,537		35,102			—			671,483
Income from operations	184,566		29,788		9,232		(4,578		)	—			219,008
Depreciation and amortization	6,085		8,753		1,144		8,256			—			24,238
Total assets⁽²⁾	2,470,743		861,080		445,926		675,535			—			4,453,284
Average headcount	6,957		4,736		909		2,627			—			15,229



	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate			Eliminations			Consolidated
Three Months Ended June 30, 2017
Revenues	$	2,381,551	$	528,820	$	657,003	$	142,644		$	—		$	3,710,018
Intersegment revenues⁽¹⁾	112,243		7,440		39,669		3,670			(163,022		)	—
Total revenues	2,493,794		536,260		696,672		146,314			(163,022		)	3,710,018
Net revenues	359,906		121,023		60,846		32,014			—			573,789
Income from operations	140,284		27,675		14,249		(388		)	—			181,820
Depreciation and amortization	5,706		8,099		1,198		7,943			—			22,946
Total assets⁽²⁾	2,189,711		741,443		455,214		579,521			—			3,965,889
Average headcount	7,003		4,021		980		2,616			—			14,620



	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate			Eliminations			Consolidated
Six Months Ended June 30, 2018
Revenues	$	5,541,915	$	1,171,351	$	1,171,493	$	316,605		$	—		$	8,201,364
Intersegment revenues⁽¹⁾	258,862		24,239		98,477		10,190			(391,768		)	—
Total Revenues	5,800,777		1,195,590		1,269,970		326,795			(391,768		)	8,201,364
Net Revenues	851,582		267,068		109,407		69,351			—			1,297,408
Income from Operations	358,644		38,009		18,539		(4,599		)	—			410,593
Depreciation and amortization	12,218		17,662		2,317		16,282			—			48,479
Total assets⁽²⁾	2,470,743		861,080		445,926		675,535			—			4,453,284
Average headcount	6,921		4,743		913		2,600			—			15,177



	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate			Eliminations			Consolidated
Six Months Ended June 30, 2017
Revenues	$	4,640,803	$	997,608	$	1,207,448	$	279,284		$	—		$	7,125,143
Intersegment revenues⁽¹⁾	213,397		15,583		73,009		10,548			(312,537		)	—
Total Revenues	4,854,200		1,013,191		1,280,457		289,832			(312,537		)	7,125,143
Net Revenues	732,346		227,569		117,683		64,757			—			1,142,355
Income from Operations	296,161		43,881		28,901		835			—			369,778
Depreciation and amortization	11,296		16,119		2,344		15,618			—			45,377
Total assets⁽²⁾	2,189,711		741,443		455,214		579,521			—			3,965,889
Average headcount	6,926		3,977		971		2,580			—			14,454

(1) Intersegment revenues represent the sales between our segments and are eliminated to reconcile to our consolidated results.

(2) All cash and cash equivalents are included in All Other and Corporate.

REVENUE FROM CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

REVENUE FROM CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS

In 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which we adopted in the first quarter of 2018. The standard outlines a five-step model whereby revenue is recognized as performance obligations within a customer contract are satisfied. The standard also requires new and expanded disclosures regarding revenue recognition. We adopted the new standard on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective transition method. We recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying the new revenue standard as an adjustment to the January 1, 2018 opening balance of retained earnings. The comparative information for previous periods has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those periods.

The cumulative effect of the changes made to our consolidated January 1, 2018 balance sheet for the adoption of ASU 2014-09 were as follows:



	Balance at December 31, 2017		Adjustments			Balance at January 1, 2018
Balance Sheet
Assets
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	$	2,113,930	$	(101,718	)	$	2,012,212
Contract assets	—		147,764			147,764
Prepaid expenses and other	63,116		4,021			67,137

Liabilities
Accounts payable	1,000,305		(56,493		)	943,812
Accrued expenses - transportation expense	—		94,811			94,811
Accrued expenses - compensation	105,316		1,964			107,280
Accrued expenses - other accrued liabilities	58,229		(2,752		)	55,477
Deferred tax liabilities	45,355		3,298			48,653

Equity
Retained earnings	3,437,093		9,239			3,446,332

The impact of adoption of ASU 2014-09 on our consolidated statements of operations and consolidated balance sheets were as follows. The adoption of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact upon our consolidated statements of cash flows.



	Three Months Ended June 30, 2018
	As reported			Balances without adoption of ASU 2014-09			Effect of Change Higher / (Lower)
Income Statement
Revenues
Transportation	$	3,953,139		$	3,897,434		$	55,705
Sourcing ⁽¹⁾	322,898			350,968			(28,070		)
Total Revenues	$	4,276,037		$	4,248,402		$	27,635
Costs and expenses
Purchased transportation and related services	$	3,313,196		$	3,264,140		$	49,056
Purchased products sourced for resale ⁽¹⁾	291,358			319,428			(28,070		)
Personnel expenses	340,630			340,153			477
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	111,845			111,845			—
Total Costs and Expenses	4,057,029			4,035,566			21,463
Income from operations	219,008			212,836			6,172
Interest and other expense	(5,128		)	(5,128		)	—
Income before provision for income taxes	213,880			207,708			6,172
Provision for income taxes	54,717			53,130			1,587
Net income	$	159,163		$	154,578		$	4,585



	Six Months Ended June 30, 2018
	As reported			Balances without adoption of ASU 2014-09			Effect of Change Higher / (Lower)
Income Statement
Revenues
Transportation	$	7,590,779		$	7,519,316		$	71,463
Sourcing ⁽¹⁾	610,585			665,799			(55,214		)
Total Revenues	$	8,201,364		$	8,185,115		$	16,249
Costs and expenses
Purchased transportation and related services	$	6,354,798		$	6,292,803		$	61,995
Purchased products sourced for resale ⁽¹⁾	549,158			604,372			(55,214		)
Personnel expenses	668,927			668,377			550
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	217,888			217,888			—
Total Costs and Expenses	7,790,771			7,783,440			7,331
Income from operations	410,593			401,675			8,918
Interest and other expense	(15,828		)	(15,828		)	—
Income before provision for income taxes	394,765			385,847			8,918
Provision for income taxes	93,305			91,032			2,273
Net income	$	301,460		$	294,815		$	6,645

(1) We have identified certain customer contracts in our sourcing managed procurement business that changed from a principal to an agent relationship under the new standard. This change resulted in these contracts being recognized at the net amount we charge our customers but had no impact on income from operations.



	As of June 30, 2018
	As reported		Balances without adoption of ASU 2014-09		Effect of Change Higher / (Lower)
Balance Sheet
Assets
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	$	2,202,460	$	2,268,854	$	(66,394	)
Contract assets	182,247		—		182,247
Prepaid expenses and other	63,374		62,004		1,370

Liabilities
Accounts payable	$	1,059,669	$	1,103,551	$	(43,882	)
Accrued expenses - transportation expense	140,231		—		140,231
Accrued expenses - compensation	99,279		96,766		2,513
Accrued expenses - other accrued liabilities	66,987		70,054		(3,067		)
Deferred tax liabilities	42,779		37,235		5,544

Equity
Retained earnings	$	3,617,324	$	3,601,440	$	15,884

We typically do not receive consideration from our customer prior to the completion of our performance obligation and as such contract liabilities as of June 30, 2018 and revenue recognized in the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 resulting from contract liabilities were not significant. Contract assets and accrued expenses - transportation expense fluctuate from period to period based upon shipments in-transit at period end.

A summary of our gross revenues disaggregated by major service line and timing of revenue recognition is presented below for each of our reportable segments for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 is as follows:



	Three Months Ended June 30, 2018
	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate		Total
Major Service Lines
Transportation and logistics services	$	2,878,904	$	617,597	$	298,126	$	158,512	$	3,953,139
Sourcing	—		—		322,898		—		322,898
Total	$	2,878,904	$	617,597	$	621,024	$	158,512	$	4,276,037

Timing of Revenue Recognition
Performance obligations completed over time	$	2,878,904	$	617,597	$	298,126	$	158,512	$	3,953,139
Performance obligations completed at a point in time	—		—		322,898		—		322,898
Total	$	2,878,904	$	617,597	$	621,024	$	158,512	$	4,276,037



	Six Months Ended June 30, 2018
	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate		Total
Major Service Lines
Transportation and logistics services	$	5,541,915	$	1,171,351	$	560,908	$	316,605	$	7,590,779
Sourcing	—		—		610,585		—		610,585
Total	$	5,541,915	$	1,171,351	$	1,171,493	$	316,605	$	8,201,364

Timing of Revenue Recognition
Performance obligations completed over time	$	5,541,915	$	1,171,351	$	560,908	$	316,605	$	7,590,779
Performance obligations completed at a point in time	—		—		610,585		—		610,585
Total	$	5,541,915	$	1,171,351	$	1,171,493	$	316,605	$	8,201,364

Approximately 90 percent and 91 percent, respectively, of our gross revenues for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 are attributable to arranging for the transportation of our customer’s freight for which we transfer control and satisfy our performance obligation over the requisite transit period. A days in transit output method is used to measure the progress of our performance as of the reporting date. We determine the transit period based upon the departure date and the delivery date, which may be estimated if delivery has not occurred as of the reporting date. Determining the transit period and how much of it has been completed as of the reporting date may require management to make judgments that affect the timing of revenue recognized. We have determined that revenue recognition over the transit period provides a faithful depiction of the transfer of goods and services to our customer as our obligation is performed over the transit period. The transaction price for our performance obligation under these arrangements is generally fixed and readily determinable upon contract inception and is not contingent upon the occurrence or non-occurrence of another event.

Approximately eight percent and seven percent, respectively, of our gross revenues for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 are attributable to buying, selling, and/or marketing of produce including fresh fruits, vegetables, and other value-added perishable items. Of these transactions, nearly all of our gross revenues are recognized at a point in time upon completion of our performance obligation, which is generally when the produce is received by our customer. The transaction price for our performance obligation under these arrangements is generally fixed and readily determinable upon contract inception and is not contingent upon the occurrence or non-occurrence of another event.

Approximately two percent of our gross revenues for both the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 are attributable to value-added logistics services, such as customs brokerage, fee-based managed services, warehousing services, small parcel, and supply chain consulting and optimization services. Of these services, nearly all are recognized over time as we complete our performance obligation. Transaction price is determined and allocated to these performance obligations at their fixed fee or agreed upon rate multiplied by their associated measure of progress, which may be transactional volumes, labor hours, or time elapsed.

Practical Expedients - Upon the adoption of ASU 2014-09, we have determined that we qualify for certain practical expedients to facilitate the adoption of the standard. We have elected to expense incremental costs of obtaining customer contracts (i.e. sales commissions) due to the short duration of our arrangements as the amortization period of such amounts is expected to be less than one year. These amounts are included within personnel expenses in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. In addition, we do not disclose the aggregate amount of transaction price allocated to performance obligations that are unsatisfied as of the end of the period as our contracts have an expected length of one year or less. Finally, for certain of our performance obligations such as fee-based managed services, supply chain consulting and optimization services, and warehousing services we have recognized revenue in the amount for which we have the right to invoice our customer as we have determined this amount corresponds directly with the value provided to the customer for our performance completed to date.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates - We have updated our revenue recognition critical accounting policy to reflect the adoption of ASU 2014-09 below.

REVENUE RECOGNITION. At contract inception, we assess the goods and services promised in our contracts with customers and identify our performance obligations to provide distinct goods and services to our customers. We have determined that the following distinct goods and services represent our primary performance obligations.

Transportation and Logistics Services - As a third party logistics provider, our primary performance obligation under our customer contracts is to utilize our relationships with a wide variety of transportation companies to efficiently and cost-effectively transport our customer’s freight. Revenue is recognized for these performance obligations as they are satisfied over the contract term, which generally represents the transit period. The transit period can vary based upon the method of transport, generally a couple days for over-the-road, rail and air transportation, or several weeks in the case of an ocean shipment. When the customer’s freight reaches its intended destination our performance obligation is complete. Pricing for our services is generally a fixed amount and is typically due within 30 days upon completion of our performance obligation.

We also provide certain value-added logistics services, such as customs brokerage, fee-based managed services, warehousing services, small parcel, and supply chain consulting and optimization services. These services may include one or more performance obligations which are generally satisfied over the service period as we perform our obligations. The service period may be a very short duration, in the case of customs brokerage, or it may be longer in the case of managed services and supply chain consulting and optimization services. Pricing for our services is established in the customer contract and is dependent upon the specific needs of the customer but may be agreed upon at a fixed fee per transaction, labor hour, or service period. Payment is typically due within 30 days upon completion of our performance obligation.

Sourcing services - We contract with grocery retailers, restaurants, foodservice distributors, and produce wholesalers to provide sourcing services under the trade name Robinson Fresh. Our primary service obligation under these contracts is the buying, selling, and/or marketing of produce including fresh fruits, vegetables, and other value-added perishable items. Revenue is recognized when our performance obligations under these contracts is satisfied at a point in time, generally when the produce is received by our customer. Pricing under these contracts is generally a fixed amount and is typically due within 30 days upon completion of our performance obligation.

In many cases, as additional performance obligations, we contract to arrange logistics and transportation of the products we buy, sell, and/or market. These performance obligations are satisfied over the contract term consistent with our other transportation and logistics services. The contract period is typically less than one year. Pricing for our services is generally a fixed amount and is typically due within 30 days upon completion of our performance obligation.

Total revenues represent the total dollar value of revenue recognized from contracts with customers for the goods and services we provide. Substantially all of our revenue is attributable to contracts with our customers. Our net revenues are our total revenues less purchased transportation and related services, including contracted motor carrier, rail, ocean, air, and other costs, and the purchase price and services related to the products we source. Most transactions in our transportation and sourcing businesses are recorded at the gross amount we charge our customers for the service we provide and goods we sell. In these transactions, we are primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the specified good or service to our customer and we have discretion in establishing the price for the specified good or service. Additionally, in our sourcing business, in some cases we take inventory risk before the specified good has been transferred to our customer. Customs brokerage, managed services, freight forwarding, and sourcing managed procurement transactions are recorded at the net amount we charge our customers for the service we provide because many of the factors stated above are not present.

CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS	6 Months Ended
CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS	Jun. 30, 2018
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS	CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS Accumulated other comprehensive loss is included in Stockholders' investment on our condensed consolidated balance sheets. The recorded balance, at June 30, 2018, and December 31, 2017, was $46.5 million and $18.5 million, respectively. Accumulated other comprehensive loss is comprised solely of foreign currency adjustments at June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and our subsidiaries (“the company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) are a global provider of transportation services and logistics solutions operating through a network of offices located in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and our majority owned and controlled subsidiaries. Our minority interests in subsidiaries are not significant. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.

Our reportable segments are North American Surface Transportation (“NAST”), Global Forwarding, Robinson Fresh, and All Other and Corporate. The All Other and Corporate segment includes Managed Services, Other Surface Transportation outside of North America, and other miscellaneous revenues and unallocated corporate expenses. We group offices primarily by services they provide to our customers. For financial information concerning our reportable segments, refer to Note 9.

The condensed consolidated financial statements, which are unaudited, have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In our opinion, these financial statements include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the financial statements for the interim periods presented. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year.

Consistent with SEC rules and regulations, we have condensed or omitted certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. You should read the condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Standards

RECENTLY ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and in August 2015 issued ASU 2015-14, which amended the standard as to its effective date. The new comprehensive revenue recognition standard supersedes all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to a customer in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard requires more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. We adopted this new standard effective January 1, 2018 under the modified retrospective transition method applied to contracts that were not completed as of the date of initial application resulting in a $9.2 million cumulative adjustment to retained earnings.

We have updated our revenue recognition critical accounting policy due to the adoption of this standard and expanded the summary of significant accounting policies included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 below. The adoption of this standard changed the timing of revenue recognition for our transportation businesses from at delivery to over the transit period as our performance obligations are completed. Due to the short transit period of many of our performance obligations, this change did not have a material impact on our results of operations or cash flows.

The new standard expanded our existing revenue recognition disclosures upon adoption. In addition, we have identified certain customer contracts in our sourcing business that changed from a principal to an agent relationship under the new standard. This change resulted in these contracts being recognized at the net amount we charge our customers but had no impact on income from operations. See Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements which includes the expanded disclosures required by ASU 2014-09.

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting. This update amends the scope of modification accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The ASU provides guidance on the types of changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards to which an entity would be required to apply modification accounting under Topic 718. We adopted this new standard effective January 1, 2018. The amendments in this update will be applied prospectively to awards modified on or after January 1, 2018. The future impact of ASU 2017-09 will depend on the nature of future stock award modifications.

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This update requires a lessee to recognize on the balance sheet a liability to make lease payments and a corresponding right-of-use asset. The guidance also requires certain qualitative and quantitative disclosures about the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, which will require us to adopt these provisions in the first quarter of 2019 using a modified retrospective approach. Early adoption is permitted, although we do not plan to adopt early. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements, which provides another transition method no longer requiring application to previously reported periods. We plan to adopt Topic 842 by applying the new standard on January 1, 2019 and recognizing a cumulative adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings.

We have obligations under lease agreements for facilities and equipment, which are classified as operating leases under the existing lease standard. While we are still evaluating the impact ASU 2016-02 will have on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows, our financial statements will reflect an increase in both assets and liabilities due to the requirement to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets for our facility and equipment leases. We are in the process of implementing a global lease accounting software and designing necessary internal controls to facilitate the adoption of the new standard. As of December 31, 2017, we had $282.7 million of minimum future lease commitments under noncancelable lease agreements which will be subject to ASU 2016-02 once adopted.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which amends existing guidance for reporting comprehensive income to reflect changes resulting from the 2017 Tax Act ("Tax Act"). The amendment provides the option to reclassify stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Act within accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) to retained earnings. New disclosures will be required upon adoption, including the accounting policy for releasing income tax effects from AOCI, whether reclassification of stranded income tax effects is elected, and information about other income tax effect reclassifications. The amendment will become effective for us on January 1, 2019, although early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of adopting this standard on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

Contract Assets

CONTRACT ASSETS. Contract assets represent amounts for which we have the right to consideration for the services we have provided while a shipment is still in-transit but for which we have not yet completed our performance obligation or have not yet invoiced our customer. Upon completion of our performance obligations, which can vary in duration based upon the method of transport, and billing our customer these amounts become classified within accounts receivable and are then typically due within 30 days.

ACCRUED TRANSPORTATION EXPENSE. Accrued transportation expense represents amounts we owe to vendors, primarily transportation providers, for the services they have provided while a shipment is still in-transit as of the reporting date.

REVENUE RECOGNITION. At contract inception, we assess the goods and services promised in our contracts with customers and identify our performance obligations to provide distinct goods and services to our customers. We have determined that the following distinct goods and services represent our primary performance obligations.

Transportation and Logistics Services - As a third party logistics provider, our primary performance obligation under our customer contracts is to utilize our relationships with a wide variety of transportation companies to efficiently and cost-effectively transport our customer’s freight. Revenue is recognized for these performance obligations as they are satisfied over the contract term, which generally represents the transit period. The transit period can vary based upon the method of transport, generally a couple days for over-the-road, rail and air transportation, or several weeks in the case of an ocean shipment. When the customer’s freight reaches its intended destination our performance obligation is complete. Pricing for our services is generally a fixed amount and is typically due within 30 days upon completion of our performance obligation.

We also provide certain value-added logistics services, such as customs brokerage, fee-based managed services, warehousing services, small parcel, and supply chain consulting and optimization services. These services may include one or more performance obligations which are generally satisfied over the service period as we perform our obligations. The service period may be a very short duration, in the case of customs brokerage, or it may be longer in the case of managed services and supply chain consulting and optimization services. Pricing for our services is established in the customer contract and is dependent upon the specific needs of the customer but may be agreed upon at a fixed fee per transaction, labor hour, or service period. Payment is typically due within 30 days upon completion of our performance obligation.

Sourcing services - We contract with grocery retailers, restaurants, foodservice distributors, and produce wholesalers to provide sourcing services under the trade name Robinson Fresh. Our primary service obligation under these contracts is the buying, selling, and/or marketing of produce including fresh fruits, vegetables, and other value-added perishable items. Revenue is recognized when our performance obligations under these contracts is satisfied at a point in time, generally when the produce is received by our customer. Pricing under these contracts is generally a fixed amount and is typically due within 30 days upon completion of our performance obligation.

In many cases, as additional performance obligations, we contract to arrange logistics and transportation of the products we buy, sell, and/or market. These performance obligations are satisfied over the contract term consistent with our other transportation and logistics services. The contract period is typically less than one year. Pricing for our services is generally a fixed amount and is typically due within 30 days upon completion of our performance obligation.

Total revenues represent the total dollar value of revenue recognized from contracts with customers for the goods and services we provide. Substantially all of our revenue is attributable to contracts with our customers. Our net revenues are our total revenues less purchased transportation and related services, including contracted motor carrier, rail, ocean, air, and other costs, and the purchase price and services related to the products we source. Most transactions in our transportation and sourcing businesses are recorded at the gross amount we charge our customers for the service we provide and goods we sell. In these transactions, we are primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the specified good or service to our customer and we have discretion in establishing the price for the specified good or service. Additionally, in our sourcing business, in some cases we take inventory risk before the specified good has been transferred to our customer. Customs brokerage, managed services, freight forwarding, and sourcing managed procurement transactions are recorded at the net amount we charge our customers for the service we provide because many of the factors stated above are not present.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill is tested at least annually for impairment on November 30, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. We first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting units is less than their respective carrying value (“Step Zero analysis”). If the Step Zero analysis indicates it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting units is less than their respective carrying value, an additional impairment assessment is performed (“Step One Analysis”). Refer to Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates.

Fair Value Measurement

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT

Accounting guidance on fair value measurements for certain financial assets and liabilities requires that assets and liabilities carried at fair value be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:


•	Level 1 — Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.


•	Level 2 — Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.


•	Level 3 — Unobservable inputs reflecting the reporting entity’s own assumptions or external inputs from inactive markets.

A financial asset or liability’s classification within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Goodwill

The change in carrying amount of goodwill is as follows (in thousands):



	NAST			Global Forwarding			Robinson Fresh			All Other and Corporate			Total
December 31, 2017 balance	$	921,486		$	185,873		$	141,185		$	27,272		$	1,275,816
Adjustments	(40		)	(268		)	—			—			(308		)
Translation	(6,305		)	(2,301		)	(942		)	(182		)	(9,730		)
June 30, 2018 balance	$	915,141		$	183,304		$	140,243		$	27,090		$	1,265,778

Schedule of Intangible Assets

Identifiable intangible assets consisted of the following (in thousands):



	June 30, 2018							December 31, 2017
	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Finite-lived intangibles
Customer relationships	$	261,938	$	(142,249	)	$	119,689	$	263,093	$	(122,103	)	$	140,990
Non-competition agreements	300		(210		)	90		300		(180		)	120
Total finite-lived intangibles	262,238		(142,459		)	119,779		263,393		(122,283		)	141,110

Indefinite-lived intangibles
Trademarks	10,475		—			10,475		10,475		—			10,475
Total intangibles	$	272,713	$	(142,459	)	$	130,254	$	273,868	$	(122,283	)	$	151,585

Schedule of Amortization Expense

Amortization expense for other intangible assets is as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2018		2017		2018		2017
Amortization expense	$	9,196	$	8,843	$	18,595	$	17,718

Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense

Definite-lived intangible assets, by reportable segment, as of June 30, 2018, will be amortized over their remaining lives as follows (in thousands):



	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate		Total
Remainder of 2018	$	3,913	$	14,744	$	—	$	—	$	18,657
2019	7,820		29,485		—		—		37,305
2020	260		26,780		—		—		27,040
2021	260		13,260		—		—		13,520
2022	260		13,260		—		—		13,520
Thereafter	354		9,383		—		—		9,737
Total									$	119,779

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Components of Short-term and Long-term Debt

The components of our short-term and long-term debt and the associated interest rates were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Average interest rate as of					Carrying value as of
	June 30, 2018		December 31, 2017		Maturity	June 30, 2018			December 31, 2017
Revolving credit facility	3.68	%	2.70	%	December 2019	$	66,000		$	715,000
Senior Notes, Series A	3.97	%	3.97	%	August 2023	175,000			175,000
Senior Notes, Series B	4.26	%	4.26	%	August 2028	150,000			150,000
Senior Notes, Series C	4.60	%	4.60	%	August 2033	175,000			175,000
Receivables securitization facility ⁽¹⁾	2.87	%	2.00	%	April 2019	249,854			250,000
Senior Notes ⁽¹⁾	4.20	%	N/A		April 2028	591,200			—
Total debt						1,407,054			1,465,000
Less: Current maturities and short-term borrowing						(66,000		)	(715,000		)
Long-term debt						$	1,341,054		$	750,000

⁽¹⁾Net of unamortized discounts and issuance costs.

STOCK AWARD PLANS (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Schedule of Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs

A summary of our total compensation expense recognized in our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income for stock-based compensation is as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2018		2017		2018		2017
Stock options	$	7,263	$	624	$	12,265	$	3,626
Stock awards	18,692		3,312		30,904		11,722
Company expense on ESPP discount	615		588		1,535		1,494
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	26,570	$	4,524	$	44,704	$	16,842

Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Activity

The following is a summary of the employee stock purchase plan activity (dollar amounts in thousands):



Three Months Ended June 30, 2018
Shares purchased by employees	Aggregate cost to employees		Expense recognized by the company
48,991	$	3,484	$	615

ACQUISITIONS (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class

Identifiable intangible assets and estimated useful lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Estimated Life (years)
Customer relationships	7	$	14,004

SEGMENT REPORTING (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Summary of Segment Information

Segment information as of, and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate			Eliminations			Consolidated
Three Months Ended June 30, 2018
Revenues	$	2,878,904	$	617,597	$	621,024	$	158,512		$	—		$	4,276,037
Intersegment revenues⁽¹⁾	135,317		14,875		50,131		3,891			(204,214		)	—
Total revenues	3,014,221		632,472		671,155		162,403			(204,214		)	4,276,037
Net revenues	436,813		144,031		55,537		35,102			—			671,483
Income from operations	184,566		29,788		9,232		(4,578		)	—			219,008
Depreciation and amortization	6,085		8,753		1,144		8,256			—			24,238
Total assets⁽²⁾	2,470,743		861,080		445,926		675,535			—			4,453,284
Average headcount	6,957		4,736		909		2,627			—			15,229



	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate			Eliminations			Consolidated
Three Months Ended June 30, 2017
Revenues	$	2,381,551	$	528,820	$	657,003	$	142,644		$	—		$	3,710,018
Intersegment revenues⁽¹⁾	112,243		7,440		39,669		3,670			(163,022		)	—
Total revenues	2,493,794		536,260		696,672		146,314			(163,022		)	3,710,018
Net revenues	359,906		121,023		60,846		32,014			—			573,789
Income from operations	140,284		27,675		14,249		(388		)	—			181,820
Depreciation and amortization	5,706		8,099		1,198		7,943			—			22,946
Total assets⁽²⁾	2,189,711		741,443		455,214		579,521			—			3,965,889
Average headcount	7,003		4,021		980		2,616			—			14,620



	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate			Eliminations			Consolidated
Six Months Ended June 30, 2018
Revenues	$	5,541,915	$	1,171,351	$	1,171,493	$	316,605		$	—		$	8,201,364
Intersegment revenues⁽¹⁾	258,862		24,239		98,477		10,190			(391,768		)	—
Total Revenues	5,800,777		1,195,590		1,269,970		326,795			(391,768		)	8,201,364
Net Revenues	851,582		267,068		109,407		69,351			—			1,297,408
Income from Operations	358,644		38,009		18,539		(4,599		)	—			410,593
Depreciation and amortization	12,218		17,662		2,317		16,282			—			48,479
Total assets⁽²⁾	2,470,743		861,080		445,926		675,535			—			4,453,284
Average headcount	6,921		4,743		913		2,600			—			15,177



	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate			Eliminations			Consolidated
Six Months Ended June 30, 2017
Revenues	$	4,640,803	$	997,608	$	1,207,448	$	279,284		$	—		$	7,125,143
Intersegment revenues⁽¹⁾	213,397		15,583		73,009		10,548			(312,537		)	—
Total Revenues	4,854,200		1,013,191		1,280,457		289,832			(312,537		)	7,125,143
Net Revenues	732,346		227,569		117,683		64,757			—			1,142,355
Income from Operations	296,161		43,881		28,901		835			—			369,778
Depreciation and amortization	11,296		16,119		2,344		15,618			—			45,377
Total assets⁽²⁾	2,189,711		741,443		455,214		579,521			—			3,965,889
Average headcount	6,926		3,977		971		2,580			—			14,454

(1) Intersegment revenues represent the sales between our segments and are eliminated to reconcile to our consolidated results.

(2) All cash and cash equivalents are included in All Other and Corporate.

REVENUE FROM CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Schedule of New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles

The cumulative effect of the changes made to our consolidated January 1, 2018 balance sheet for the adoption of ASU 2014-09 were as follows:



	Balance at December 31, 2017		Adjustments			Balance at January 1, 2018
Balance Sheet
Assets
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	$	2,113,930	$	(101,718	)	$	2,012,212
Contract assets	—		147,764			147,764
Prepaid expenses and other	63,116		4,021			67,137

Liabilities
Accounts payable	1,000,305		(56,493		)	943,812
Accrued expenses - transportation expense	—		94,811			94,811
Accrued expenses - compensation	105,316		1,964			107,280
Accrued expenses - other accrued liabilities	58,229		(2,752		)	55,477
Deferred tax liabilities	45,355		3,298			48,653

Equity
Retained earnings	3,437,093		9,239			3,446,332

The impact of adoption of ASU 2014-09 on our consolidated statements of operations and consolidated balance sheets were as follows. The adoption of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact upon our consolidated statements of cash flows.



	Three Months Ended June 30, 2018
	As reported			Balances without adoption of ASU 2014-09			Effect of Change Higher / (Lower)
Income Statement
Revenues
Transportation	$	3,953,139		$	3,897,434		$	55,705
Sourcing ⁽¹⁾	322,898			350,968			(28,070		)
Total Revenues	$	4,276,037		$	4,248,402		$	27,635
Costs and expenses
Purchased transportation and related services	$	3,313,196		$	3,264,140		$	49,056
Purchased products sourced for resale ⁽¹⁾	291,358			319,428			(28,070		)
Personnel expenses	340,630			340,153			477
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	111,845			111,845			—
Total Costs and Expenses	4,057,029			4,035,566			21,463
Income from operations	219,008			212,836			6,172
Interest and other expense	(5,128		)	(5,128		)	—
Income before provision for income taxes	213,880			207,708			6,172
Provision for income taxes	54,717			53,130			1,587
Net income	$	159,163		$	154,578		$	4,585



	Six Months Ended June 30, 2018
	As reported			Balances without adoption of ASU 2014-09			Effect of Change Higher / (Lower)
Income Statement
Revenues
Transportation	$	7,590,779		$	7,519,316		$	71,463
Sourcing ⁽¹⁾	610,585			665,799			(55,214		)
Total Revenues	$	8,201,364		$	8,185,115		$	16,249
Costs and expenses
Purchased transportation and related services	$	6,354,798		$	6,292,803		$	61,995
Purchased products sourced for resale ⁽¹⁾	549,158			604,372			(55,214		)
Personnel expenses	668,927			668,377			550
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	217,888			217,888			—
Total Costs and Expenses	7,790,771			7,783,440			7,331
Income from operations	410,593			401,675			8,918
Interest and other expense	(15,828		)	(15,828		)	—
Income before provision for income taxes	394,765			385,847			8,918
Provision for income taxes	93,305			91,032			2,273
Net income	$	301,460		$	294,815		$	6,645

(1) We have identified certain customer contracts in our sourcing managed procurement business that changed from a principal to an agent relationship under the new standard. This change resulted in these contracts being recognized at the net amount we charge our customers but had no impact on income from operations.



	As of June 30, 2018
	As reported		Balances without adoption of ASU 2014-09		Effect of Change Higher / (Lower)
Balance Sheet
Assets
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	$	2,202,460	$	2,268,854	$	(66,394	)
Contract assets	182,247		—		182,247
Prepaid expenses and other	63,374		62,004		1,370

Liabilities
Accounts payable	$	1,059,669	$	1,103,551	$	(43,882	)
Accrued expenses - transportation expense	140,231		—		140,231
Accrued expenses - compensation	99,279		96,766		2,513
Accrued expenses - other accrued liabilities	66,987		70,054		(3,067		)
Deferred tax liabilities	42,779		37,235		5,544

Equity
Retained earnings	$	3,617,324	$	3,601,440	$	15,884

Summary of Gross Revenue Disaggregated by Major Service Line and Timing of Revenue Recognition

A summary of our gross revenues disaggregated by major service line and timing of revenue recognition is presented below for each of our reportable segments for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 is as follows:



	Three Months Ended June 30, 2018
	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate		Total
Major Service Lines
Transportation and logistics services	$	2,878,904	$	617,597	$	298,126	$	158,512	$	3,953,139
Sourcing	—		—		322,898		—		322,898
Total	$	2,878,904	$	617,597	$	621,024	$	158,512	$	4,276,037

Timing of Revenue Recognition
Performance obligations completed over time	$	2,878,904	$	617,597	$	298,126	$	158,512	$	3,953,139
Performance obligations completed at a point in time	—		—		322,898		—		322,898
Total	$	2,878,904	$	617,597	$	621,024	$	158,512	$	4,276,037



	Six Months Ended June 30, 2018
	NAST		Global Forwarding		Robinson Fresh		All Other and Corporate		Total
Major Service Lines
Transportation and logistics services	$	5,541,915	$	1,171,351	$	560,908	$	316,605	$	7,590,779
Sourcing	—		—		610,585		—		610,585
Total	$	5,541,915	$	1,171,351	$	1,171,493	$	316,605	$	8,201,364

Timing of Revenue Recognition
Performance obligations completed over time	$	5,541,915	$	1,171,351	$	560,908	$	316,605	$	7,590,779
Performance obligations completed at a point in time	—		—		610,585		—		610,585
Total	$	5,541,915	$	1,171,351	$	1,171,493	$	316,605	$	8,201,364

BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative adjustment to retained earnings	$ 3,617,324	$ 3,446,332	$ 3,437,093
Minimum future lease commitments			$ 282,700
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative adjustment to retained earnings	$ 15,884	$ 9,239

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS - Change in the Carrying Amount of Goodwill (Details) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($)
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	$ 1,275,816
Adjustments	(308)
Translation	(9,730)
Balance, end of period	1,265,778
NAST
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	921,486
Adjustments	(40)
Translation	(6,305)
Balance, end of period	915,141
Global Forwarding
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	185,873
Adjustments	(268)
Translation	(2,301)
Balance, end of period	183,304
Robinson Fresh
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	141,185
Adjustments	0
Translation	(942)
Balance, end of period	140,243
All Other and Corporate
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	27,272
Adjustments	0
Translation	(182)
Balance, end of period	$ 27,090

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS - Summary of Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Finite-lived intangibles
Finite-lived intangibles	$ 262,238	$ 263,393
Accumulated amortization	(142,459)	(122,283)
Net	119,779	141,110
Indefinite-lived intangibles
Total intangibles, Cost	272,713	273,868
Total intangibles, Net	130,254	151,585
Trademarks
Indefinite-lived intangibles
Indefinite-lived intangibles	10,475	10,475
Customer relationships
Finite-lived intangibles
Finite-lived intangibles	261,938	263,093
Accumulated amortization	(142,249)	(122,103)
Net	119,689	140,990
Non-competition agreements
Finite-lived intangibles
Finite-lived intangibles	300	300
Accumulated amortization	(210)	(180)
Net	$ 90	$ 120

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS - Estimated Amortization Expense on Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill [Line Items]
Amortization expense	$ 9,196	$ 8,843	$ 18,595	$ 17,718
Estimated amortization expense
Remainder of 2018	18,657		18,657
2019	37,305		37,305
2020	27,040		27,040
2021	13,520		13,520
2022	13,520		13,520
Thereafter	9,737		9,737
Net	119,779		119,779		$ 141,110
NAST
Estimated amortization expense
Remainder of 2018	3,913		3,913
2019	7,820		7,820
2020	260		260
2021	260		260
2022	260		260
Thereafter	354		354
Global Forwarding
Estimated amortization expense
Remainder of 2018	14,744		14,744
2019	29,485		29,485
2020	26,780		26,780
2021	13,260		13,260
2022	13,260		13,260
Thereafter	9,383		9,383
Robinson Fresh
Estimated amortization expense
Remainder of 2018	0		0
2019	0		0
2020	0		0
2021	0		0
2022	0		0
Thereafter	0		0
All Other and Corporate
Estimated amortization expense
Remainder of 2018	0		0
2019	0		0
2020	0		0
2021	0		0
2022	0		0
Thereafter	$ 0		$ 0

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT (Details) - USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Liabilities and assets at fair value	$ 0	$ 0

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS - Components of Short-term and Long-term Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 1,407,054	$ 1,465,000
Less: Current maturities and short-term borrowing	(66,000)	(715,000)
Long-term debt	$ 1,341,054	$ 750,000
Line of Credit \| Revolving credit facility \| Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2019 Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average interest rate as of	3.68%	2.70%
Total debt	$ 66,000	$ 715,000
Senior Notes \| Series A Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average interest rate as of	3.97%	3.97%
Total debt	$ 175,000	$ 175,000
Senior Notes \| Series B Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average interest rate as of	4.26%	4.26%
Total debt	$ 150,000	$ 150,000
Senior Notes \| Series C Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average interest rate as of	4.60%	4.60%
Total debt	$ 175,000	$ 175,000
Secured Debt \| Receivables securitization facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average interest rate as of	2.87%	2.00%
Total debt	$ 249,854	$ 250,000
Unsecured Debt \| Senior Notes Due 2028
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average interest rate as of	4.20%
Total debt	$ 591,200	$ 0

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS - Additional Information (Details)			6 Months Ended
	Apr. 09, 2018	Aug. 23, 2013 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Apr. 26, 2017 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, fair value			$ 491,800,000
Long-term debt			1,407,054,000	$ 1,465,000,000
Receivables securitization facility \| The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., New York Branch and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association \| Secured Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity					$ 250,000,000
Unsecured Debt \| Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2019 Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity			$ 900,000,000
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage ratio, maximum			3.00
Unsecured Debt \| Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2019 Term Loan \| Federal Funds Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, basis spread on variable rate			0.50%
Unsecured Debt \| Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2019 Term Loan \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, basis spread on variable rate			1.13%
Unsecured Debt \| Senior Notes Due 2028
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, fair value			$ 585,400,000
Debt instrument, redemption price, percentage	101.00%
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage	4.20%
Debt instrument, effective yield	4.39%
Long-term debt			$ 591,200,000	$ 0
Percent of principal amount outstanding held by trustee or holders	25.00%
Senior Notes \| Note Purchase Agreement
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage ratio, maximum		3.00
Debt instrument, face amount		$ 500,000,000
Debt instrument, covenant, interest expense ratio, maximum		2.00
Debt instrument, covenant, priority debt, percentage		15.00%
Debt instrument, redemption price, percentage		100.00%

INCOME TAXES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
INCOME TAXES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Effective income tax	25.60%	35.60%	23.60%	33.60%
Estimated effect on income taxes payable from foreign earnings repatriated			$ 15.0
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, provisional income tax benefit			11.1		$ 12.1
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, transition tax, income tax expense			1.0
Unrecognized tax benefits and related interest and penalties, all of which would affect our effective tax rate if recognized	$ 36.0		36.0
Decrease in unrecognized tax benefits due to lapse of statute of limitations	$ 1.8		1.8
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Effective income tax rate reconciliation, share-based compensation, excess tax benefit amount			$ (7.5)	$ (10.6)

STOCK AWARD PLANS - Summary of Total Compensation Expense Recognized in Statements of Operations for Stock-Based Compensation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 26,570	$ 4,524	$ 44,704	$ 16,842
Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	7,263	624	12,265	3,626
Stock awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	18,692	3,312	30,904	11,722
Company expense on ESPP discount
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 615	$ 588	$ 1,535	$ 1,494

STOCK AWARD PLANS - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	May 12, 2016
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Maximum employee contribution to purchase company stock	$ 10,000
Discount rate used to determine the purchase price	15.00%
Stock Option
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Maximum shares that can be granted under stock plan (shares)		13,041,803
Shares available for stock awards (shares)	3,006,181
Stock award, vesting period	5 years
Unrecognized compensation expense	$ 45,900,000
Restricted Stock Awards
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Stock award, vesting period	5 years
Unrecognized compensation expense	$ 106,900,000
Restricted Stock Awards \| Minimum
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Discount on outstanding grants	15.00%
Restricted Stock Awards \| Maximum
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Discount on outstanding grants	21.00%

STOCK AWARD PLANS - Summary of Employee Stock Purchase Plan Activity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares purchased by employees (shares)	48,991
Aggregate cost to employees	$ 3,484
Expense recognized by the company	26,570	$ 4,524	$ 44,704	$ 16,842
Company expense on ESPP discount
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expense recognized by the company	$ 615	$ 588	$ 1,535	$ 1,494

LITIGATION (Details)	6 Months Ended
LITIGATION (Details)	Jun. 30, 2018 case
Contingent Auto Liability Claim
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Contingency auto liability cases (case)	14

ACQUISITIONS - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		6 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total purchase consideration. net of cash acquired		$ 1,315	$ 1,780
Goodwill		$ 1,265,778		$ 1,275,816
Milgram & Company Ltd.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total purchase consideration. net of cash acquired	$ 47,300
Goodwill	$ 28,300

ACQUISITIONS - Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class (Details) - Customer relationships - Milgram & Company Ltd. $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Life (years)	7 years
Identifiable intangible assets	$ 14,004

SEGMENT REPORTING - Additional Information (Details)	6 Months Ended
SEGMENT REPORTING - Additional Information (Details)	Jun. 30, 2018 segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of reportable segments (segment)	3

SEGMENT REPORTING - Summary of Segment Information (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($) employee	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($) employee	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($) employee	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($) employee	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 4,276,037	$ 3,710,018	$ 8,201,364	$ 7,125,143
Net revenues	671,483	573,789	1,297,408	1,142,355
Income from operations	219,008	181,820	410,593	369,778
Depreciation and amortization	24,238	22,946	48,479	45,377
Total assets	$ 4,453,284	$ 3,965,889	$ 4,453,284	$ 3,965,889	$ 4,235,834
Average headcount (employee) \| employee	15,229	14,620	15,177	14,454
NAST
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 3,014,221	$ 2,493,794	$ 5,800,777	$ 4,854,200
Net revenues	436,813	359,906	851,582	732,346
Income from operations	184,566	140,284	358,644	296,161
Depreciation and amortization	6,085	5,706	12,218	11,296
Total assets	$ 2,470,743	$ 2,189,711	$ 2,470,743	$ 2,189,711
Average headcount (employee) \| employee	6,957	7,003	6,921	6,926
Global Forwarding
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 632,472	$ 536,260	$ 1,195,590	$ 1,013,191
Net revenues	144,031	121,023	267,068	227,569
Income from operations	29,788	27,675	38,009	43,881
Depreciation and amortization	8,753	8,099	17,662	16,119
Total assets	$ 861,080	$ 741,443	$ 861,080	$ 741,443
Average headcount (employee) \| employee	4,736	4,021	4,743	3,977
Robinson Fresh
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 671,155	$ 696,672	$ 1,269,970	$ 1,280,457
Net revenues	55,537	60,846	109,407	117,683
Income from operations	9,232	14,249	18,539	28,901
Depreciation and amortization	1,144	1,198	2,317	2,344
Total assets	$ 445,926	$ 455,214	$ 445,926	$ 455,214
Average headcount (employee) \| employee	909	980	913	971
All Other and Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 162,403	$ 146,314	$ 326,795	$ 289,832
Net revenues	35,102	32,014	69,351	64,757
Income from operations	(4,578)	(388)	(4,599)	835
Depreciation and amortization	8,256	7,943	16,282	15,618
Total assets	$ 675,535	$ 579,521	$ 675,535	$ 579,521
Average headcount (employee) \| employee	2,627	2,616	2,600	2,580
Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 4,276,037	$ 3,710,018	$ 8,201,364	$ 7,125,143
Operating Segments \| NAST
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	2,878,904	2,381,551	5,541,915	4,640,803
Operating Segments \| Global Forwarding
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	617,597	528,820	1,171,351	997,608
Operating Segments \| Robinson Fresh
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	621,024	657,003	1,171,493	1,207,448
Operating Segments \| All Other and Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	158,512	142,644	316,605	279,284
Intersegment revenues
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	(204,214)	(163,022)	(391,768)	(312,537)
Intersegment revenues \| NAST
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	135,317	112,243	258,862	213,397
Intersegment revenues \| Global Forwarding
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	14,875	7,440	24,239	15,583
Intersegment revenues \| Robinson Fresh
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	50,131	39,669	98,477	73,009
Intersegment revenues \| All Other and Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 3,891	$ 3,670	$ 10,190	$ 10,548

REVENUE FROM CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS - Cumulative Effect of Changes to Consolidated Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Assets
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 2,202,460	$ 2,012,212	$ 2,113,930
Contract assets	182,247	147,764	0
Prepaid expenses and other	63,374	67,137	63,116
Liabilities
Accounts payable	1,059,669	943,812	1,000,305
Accrued expenses - transportation expense	140,231	94,811	0
Accrued expenses - compensation	99,279	107,280	105,316
Accrued expenses - other accrued liabilities	66,987	55,477	58,229
Deferred tax liabilities	42,779	48,653
Equity
Retained earnings	3,617,324	3,446,332	3,437,093
Calculated under Revenue Guidance in Effect before Topic 606
Assets
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	2,268,854		2,113,930
Contract assets	0		0
Prepaid expenses and other	62,004		63,116
Liabilities
Accounts payable	1,103,551		1,000,305
Accrued expenses - transportation expense	0		0
Accrued expenses - compensation	96,766		105,316
Accrued expenses - other accrued liabilities	70,054		58,229
Deferred tax liabilities	37,235		45,355
Equity
Retained earnings	3,601,440		$ 3,437,093
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Assets
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	(66,394)	(101,718)
Contract assets	182,247	147,764
Prepaid expenses and other	1,370	4,021
Liabilities
Accounts payable	(43,882)	(56,493)
Accrued expenses - transportation expense	140,231	94,811
Accrued expenses - compensation	2,513	1,964
Accrued expenses - other accrued liabilities	(3,067)	(2,752)
Deferred tax liabilities	5,544	3,298
Equity
Retained earnings	$ 15,884	$ 9,239

REVENUE FROM CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS - Impact on Consolidated Statements of Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Revenues
Total revenues	$ 4,276,037	$ 3,710,018	$ 8,201,364	$ 7,125,143
Costs and expenses
Personnel expenses	340,630	284,220	668,927	574,724
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	111,845	107,749	217,888	197,853
Total costs and expenses	4,057,029	3,528,198	7,790,771	6,755,365
Income from operations	219,008	181,820	410,593	369,778
Interest and other expense	(5,128)	(9,368)	(15,828)	(18,670)
Income before provision for income taxes	213,880	172,452	394,765	351,108
Provision for income taxes	54,717	61,381	93,305	117,957
Net income	159,163	111,071	301,460	233,151
Calculated under Revenue Guidance in Effect before Topic 606
Revenues
Total revenues	4,248,402		8,185,115
Costs and expenses
Personnel expenses	340,153		668,377
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	111,845		217,888
Total costs and expenses	4,035,566		7,783,440
Income from operations	212,836		401,675
Interest and other expense	(5,128)		(15,828)
Income before provision for income taxes	207,708		385,847
Provision for income taxes	53,130		91,032
Net income	154,578		294,815
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Revenues
Total revenues	27,635		16,249
Costs and expenses
Personnel expenses	477		550
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	0		0
Total costs and expenses	21,463		7,331
Income from operations	6,172		8,918
Interest and other expense	0		0
Income before provision for income taxes	6,172		8,918
Provision for income taxes	1,587		2,273
Net income	4,585		6,645
Transportation and logistics services
Revenues
Total revenues	3,953,139	3,319,995	7,590,779	6,422,038
Costs and expenses
Purchased products sourced for resale	3,313,196	2,781,355	6,354,798	5,345,240
Transportation and logistics services \| Calculated under Revenue Guidance in Effect before Topic 606
Revenues
Total revenues	3,897,434		7,519,316
Costs and expenses
Purchased products sourced for resale	3,264,140		6,292,803
Transportation and logistics services \| Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Revenues
Total revenues	55,705		71,463
Costs and expenses
Purchased products sourced for resale	49,056		61,995
Sourcing
Revenues
Total revenues	322,898	390,023	610,585	703,105
Costs and expenses
Purchased products sourced for resale	291,358	$ 354,874	549,158	$ 637,548
Sourcing \| Calculated under Revenue Guidance in Effect before Topic 606
Revenues
Total revenues	350,968		665,799
Costs and expenses
Purchased products sourced for resale	319,428		604,372
Sourcing \| Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Revenues
Total revenues	(28,070)		(55,214)
Costs and expenses
Purchased products sourced for resale	$ (28,070)		$ (55,214)

REVENUE FROM CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS - Impact on Consolidated Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Assets
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 2,202,460	$ 2,012,212	$ 2,113,930
Contract assets	182,247	147,764	0
Prepaid expenses and other	63,374	67,137	63,116
Liabilities
Accounts payable	1,059,669	943,812	1,000,305
Accrued expenses - transportation expense	140,231	94,811	0
Accrued expenses - compensation	99,279	107,280	105,316
Accrued expenses - other accrued liabilities	66,987	55,477	58,229
Deferred tax liabilities	42,779	48,653
Equity
Retained earnings	3,617,324	3,446,332	3,437,093
Calculated under Revenue Guidance in Effect before Topic 606
Assets
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	2,268,854		2,113,930
Contract assets	0		0
Prepaid expenses and other	62,004		63,116
Liabilities
Accounts payable	1,103,551		1,000,305
Accrued expenses - transportation expense	0		0
Accrued expenses - compensation	96,766		105,316
Accrued expenses - other accrued liabilities	70,054		58,229
Deferred tax liabilities	37,235		45,355
Equity
Retained earnings	3,601,440		$ 3,437,093
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Assets
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts	(66,394)	(101,718)
Contract assets	182,247	147,764
Prepaid expenses and other	1,370	4,021
Liabilities
Accounts payable	(43,882)	(56,493)
Accrued expenses - transportation expense	140,231	94,811
Accrued expenses - compensation	2,513	1,964
Accrued expenses - other accrued liabilities	(3,067)	(2,752)
Deferred tax liabilities	5,544	3,298
Equity
Retained earnings	$ 15,884	$ 9,239

REVENUE FROM CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS - Summary of Gross Revenues Disaggregated by Major Service Line and Timing of Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 4,276,037	$ 3,710,018	$ 8,201,364	$ 7,125,143
NAST
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	3,014,221	2,493,794	5,800,777	4,854,200
Global Forwarding
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	632,472	536,260	1,195,590	1,013,191
Robinson Fresh
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	671,155	696,672	1,269,970	1,280,457
All Other and Corporate
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	162,403	146,314	326,795	289,832
Transportation and logistics services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	3,953,139	3,319,995	7,590,779	6,422,038
Sourcing
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	322,898	390,023	610,585	703,105
Operating Segments
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	4,276,037	3,710,018	8,201,364	7,125,143
Operating Segments \| NAST
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	2,878,904	2,381,551	5,541,915	4,640,803
Operating Segments \| Global Forwarding
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	617,597	528,820	1,171,351	997,608
Operating Segments \| Robinson Fresh
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	621,024	657,003	1,171,493	1,207,448
Operating Segments \| All Other and Corporate
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	158,512	$ 142,644	316,605	$ 279,284
Operating Segments \| Transportation and logistics services
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	3,953,139		7,590,779
Operating Segments \| Transportation and logistics services \| Performance obligations completed over time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	3,953,139		7,590,779
Operating Segments \| Transportation and logistics services \| NAST
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	2,878,904		5,541,915
Operating Segments \| Transportation and logistics services \| NAST \| Performance obligations completed over time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	2,878,904		5,541,915
Operating Segments \| Transportation and logistics services \| Global Forwarding
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	617,597		1,171,351
Operating Segments \| Transportation and logistics services \| Global Forwarding \| Performance obligations completed over time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	617,597		1,171,351
Operating Segments \| Transportation and logistics services \| Robinson Fresh
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	298,126		560,908
Operating Segments \| Transportation and logistics services \| Robinson Fresh \| Performance obligations completed over time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	298,126		560,908
Operating Segments \| Transportation and logistics services \| All Other and Corporate
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	158,512		316,605
Operating Segments \| Transportation and logistics services \| All Other and Corporate \| Performance obligations completed over time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	158,512		316,605
Operating Segments \| Sourcing
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	322,898		610,585
Operating Segments \| Sourcing \| Performance obligations completed at a point in time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	322,898		610,585
Operating Segments \| Sourcing \| NAST
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	0		0
Operating Segments \| Sourcing \| NAST \| Performance obligations completed at a point in time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	0		0
Operating Segments \| Sourcing \| Global Forwarding
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	0		0
Operating Segments \| Sourcing \| Global Forwarding \| Performance obligations completed at a point in time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	0		0
Operating Segments \| Sourcing \| Robinson Fresh
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	322,898		610,585
Operating Segments \| Sourcing \| Robinson Fresh \| Performance obligations completed at a point in time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	322,898		610,585
Operating Segments \| Sourcing \| All Other and Corporate
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	0		0
Operating Segments \| Sourcing \| All Other and Corporate \| Performance obligations completed at a point in time
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 0		$ 0

REVENUE FROM CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS - Additional Information (Details) - Product Concentration Risk - Sales Revenue, Net	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018
Transportation and logistics services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Percentage of gross revenue attributable to services	90.00%	91.00%
Buying, Selling, and Marketing of Produce Items
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Percentage of gross revenue attributable to services	8.00%	7.00%
Value-added Logistics Services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Percentage of gross revenue attributable to services	2.00%	2.00%

CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	$ (46,537)	$ (18,460)