C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) 10-K 28 Feb 18 2017 FY Annual report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Feb. 22, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	C H ROBINSON WORLDWIDE INC
Entity Central Index Key	1,043,277
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Trading Symbol	CHRW
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		139,748,794
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 9,616,075,533

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 333,890	$ 247,666
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $42,409 and $39,543	2,113,930	1,711,191
Prepaid expenses and other	63,116	49,245
Total current assets	2,510,936	2,008,102
Property and equipment	497,909	450,045
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(267,583)	(217,092)
Net property and equipment	230,326	232,953
Goodwill	1,275,816	1,232,796
Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $122,283 and $87,486	151,585	167,525
Deferred tax assets	6,870	2,250
Other assets	60,301	44,132
Total assets	4,235,834	3,687,758
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	1,000,305	839,736
Outstanding checks	96,359	82,052
Accrued expenses–
Compensation	105,316	98,107
Income taxes	12,240	15,472
Other accrued liabilities	58,229	70,351
Current portion of debt	715,000	740,000
Total current liabilities	1,987,449	1,845,718
Long-term debt	750,000	500,000
Noncurrent income taxes payable	26,684	18,849
Deferred tax liabilities	45,355	65,122
Other long-term liabilities	601	222
Total liabilities	2,810,089	2,429,911
Commitments and contingencies
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; 179,103 and 179,006 shares issued, 139,542 and 141,258 outstanding	13,954	14,126
Additional paid-in capital	444,280	419,280
Retained earnings	3,437,093	3,190,578
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(18,460)	(61,442)
Treasury stock at cost (39,561 and 37,748 shares)	(2,451,122)	(2,304,695)
Total stockholders’ investment	1,425,745	1,257,847
Total liabilities and stockholders’ investment	$ 4,235,834	$ 3,687,758

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Pa

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Receivables, allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 42,409	$ 39,543
Other intangible assets, accumulated amortization	$ 122,283	$ 87,486
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.10	$ 0.10
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	20,000,000	20,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.10	$ 0.10
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	480,000,000	480,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	179,103,000	179,006,000
Common stock shares outstanding (in shares)	139,542,000	141,258,000
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	39,561,000	37,748,000

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPER

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Revenues:
Transportation	$ 13,502,906	$ 11,704,745	$ 11,989,780
Sourcing	1,366,474	1,439,668	1,486,304
Total revenues	14,869,380	13,144,413	13,476,084
Costs and expenses:
Purchased transportation and related services	11,257,290	9,549,934	9,842,271
Purchased products sourced for resale	1,244,040	1,316,951	1,365,333
Personnel expenses	1,179,527	1,064,936	1,051,410
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	413,404	375,061	358,760
Total costs and expenses	14,094,261	12,306,882	12,617,774
Income from operations	775,119	837,531	858,310
Interest and other expense	(46,656)	(25,581)	(35,529)
Income before provision for income taxes	728,463	811,950	822,781
Provision for income taxes	223,570	298,566	313,082
Net income	504,893	513,384	509,699
Other comprehensive income/(loss)	42,982	(23,496)	(9,336)
Comprehensive income	$ 547,875	$ 489,888	$ 500,363
Basic net income per share (in dollars per share)	$ 3.59	$ 3.60	$ 3.52
Diluted net income per share (in dollars per share)	$ 3.57	$ 3.59	$ 3.51
Basic weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	140,610	142,706	144,967
Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards (in shares)	772	285	382
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	141,382	142,991	145,349

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOC

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' INVESTMENT - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		$ 1,257,847		$ 1,150,450	$ 1,257,847	$ 1,150,450	$ 1,047,015
Net income	$ 152,556	$ 122,080	$ 122,303	$ 118,963	504,893	513,384	509,699
Foreign currency translation adjustment					42,982	(23,496)	(9,336)
Dividends declared, $1.81 in 2017, $1.74 in 2016, and $1.57 in 2015 per share					(258,378)	(245,426)	(235,618)
Stock issued for employee benefit plans					$ 16,572	(17,405)	4,188
Issuance of restricted stock (in shares)					1,761,516
Issuance of restricted stock					$ 0	0	0
Stock-based compensation expense					41,814	38,554	58,067
Excess tax benefit on deferred compensation and employee stock plans						18,462	8,548
Repurchase of common stock					(179,985)	(176,676)	(232,113)
Ending Balance	$ 1,425,745		$ 1,257,847		$ 1,425,745	$ 1,257,847	$ 1,150,450
Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance (in shares)		141,258,000		143,455,000	141,258,000	143,455,000	146,458,000
Beginning Balance		$ 14,126		$ 14,345	$ 14,126	$ 14,345	$ 14,646
Stock issued for employee benefit plans (in shares)					612,000	32,000	254,000
Stock issued for employee benefit plans					$ 61	$ 3	$ 25
Issuance of restricted stock (in shares)					97,000	221,000	164,000
Issuance of restricted stock					$ 10	$ 22	$ 16
Stock-based compensation expense (in shares)					1,000	17,000
Stock-based compensation expense						$ 3
Repurchase of common stock (in shares)					(2,426,000)	(2,467,000)	(3,421,000)
Repurchase of common stock					$ (243)	$ (247)	$ (342)
Ending Balance (in shares)	139,542,000		141,258,000		139,542,000	141,258,000	143,455,000
Ending Balance	$ 13,954		$ 14,126		$ 13,954	$ 14,126	$ 14,345
Additional Paid-in Capital
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		419,280		379,444	419,280	379,444	321,968
Stock issued for employee benefit plans					(16,760)	(16,121)	(9,095)
Issuance of restricted stock					(10)	(22)	(16)
Stock-based compensation expense					41,770	37,517	58,039
Excess tax benefit on deferred compensation and employee stock plans						18,462	8,548
Ending Balance	444,280		419,280		444,280	419,280	379,444
Retained Earnings
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		3,190,578		2,922,620	3,190,578	2,922,620	2,648,539
Net income					504,893	513,384	509,699
Dividends declared, $1.81 in 2017, $1.74 in 2016, and $1.57 in 2015 per share					(258,378)	(245,426)	(235,618)
Ending Balance	3,437,093		3,190,578		3,437,093	3,190,578	2,922,620
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		(61,442)		(37,946)	(61,442)	(37,946)	(28,610)
Foreign currency translation adjustment					42,982	(23,496)	(9,336)
Ending Balance	(18,460)		(61,442)		(18,460)	(61,442)	(37,946)
Treasury Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		$ (2,304,695)		$ (2,128,013)	(2,304,695)	(2,128,013)	(1,909,528)
Stock issued for employee benefit plans					33,271	(1,287)	13,258
Stock-based compensation expense					44	1,034	28
Repurchase of common stock					(179,742)	(176,429)	(231,771)
Ending Balance	$ (2,451,122)		$ (2,304,695)		$ (2,451,122)	$ (2,304,695)	$ (2,128,013)

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STO6

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' INVESTMENT (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Dividends declared, per share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.81	$ 1.74	$ 1.57

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	$ 504,893	$ 513,384	$ 509,699
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	92,977	74,669	66,409
Provision for doubtful accounts	13,489	5,136	11,538
Stock-based compensation	41,805	37,565	57,661
Deferred income taxes	(28,096)	15,009	(17,095)
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	(13,657)	(18,462)	(8,548)
Other	4,491	1,907	7,409
Changes in operating elements, net of effects of acquisitions:
Receivables	(364,181)	(173,211)	107,560
Prepaid expenses and other	(9,173)	(6,378)	(228)
Other non-current assets	(19,099)	(3,934)	741
Accounts payable and outstanding checks	144,041	115,917	(53,272)
Accrued compensation	7,209	(47,570)	18,580
Accrued income taxes	18,817	19,921	13,726
Other accrued liabilities	(9,515)	(4,545)	4,156
Net cash provided by operating activities	384,001	529,408	718,336
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchases of property and equipment	(40,122)	(73,452)	(28,115)
Purchases and development of software	(17,823)	(17,985)	(16,527)
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(49,068)	(220,203)	(369,833)
Restricted cash	0	0	359,388
Other	(521)	(1,348)	641
Net cash used for investing activities	(107,534)	(312,988)	(54,446)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from stock issued for employee benefit plans	38,130	19,271	15,557
Stock tendered for payment of withholding taxes	(21,557)	(36,678)	(11,368)
Repurchase of common stock	(185,485)	(172,925)	(229,863)
Cash dividends	(258,222)	(245,430)	(235,615)
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	0	18,462	8,548
Proceeds from long-term borrowings	250,000	0	0
Proceeds from short-term borrowings	8,784,000	6,600,000	6,833,000
Payments on short-term borrowings	(8,809,000)	(6,310,000)	(6,988,000)
Net cash used for financing activities	(202,134)	(127,300)	(607,741)
Effect of exchange rates on cash	11,891	(9,683)	(16,860)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	86,224	79,437	39,289
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year	247,666	168,229	128,940
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	333,890	247,666	168,229
Supplemental cash flow disclosures
Cash paid for income taxes	262,861	269,187	311,800
Cash paid for interest	37,871	28,908	28,537
Accrued share repurchases held in other accrued liabilities	$ 500	$ 5,988	$ 2,250

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTI

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 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 through a network of offices operating 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. USE OF ESTIMATES. The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Estimates have been prepared on the basis of the most current and best information, and our actual results could differ materially from those estimates. REVENUE RECOGNITION. Total revenues consist of the total dollar value of goods and services purchased from us by 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. We act principally as the service provider for these transactions and recognize revenue as these services are rendered or goods are delivered. At that time, our obligations to the transactions are completed and collection of receivables is reasonably assured. 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 the primary obligor, we have credit risk, we have discretion to select the supplier, and we have latitude in pricing decisions. Additionally, in our sourcing business, we take loss of inventory risk during shipment and have general inventory risk. Certain transactions in customs brokerage, managed services, freight forwarding, and sourcing 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. ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS. Accounts receivable are reduced by an allowance for amounts that may become uncollectible in the future. We continuously monitor payments from our customers and maintain a provision for uncollectible accounts based upon our customer aging trends, historical loss experience, and any specific customer collection issues that we have identified. FOREIGN CURRENCY. Most balance sheet accounts of foreign subsidiaries are translated or remeasured at the current exchange rate as of the end of the year. Statement of operations items are translated at average exchange rates during the year. The resulting translation adjustment is recorded net of tax as a separate component of comprehensive income in our statements of operations and comprehensive income in 2015. In 2016, we asserted that we will indefinitely reinvest earnings of foreign subsidiaries to support expansion of our international businesses and now the translation adjustment is recorded gross of related income tax benefits. CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS. Cash and cash equivalents consist of bank deposits. PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER. Prepaid expenses and other include such items as prepaid rent, software maintenance contracts, insurance premiums, other prepaid operating expenses, and inventories, consisting primarily of produce and related products held for resale. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT. Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Maintenance and repair expenditures are charged to expense as incurred. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated lives of the assets. Amortization of leasehold improvements is computed over the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements. We recognized the following depreciation expense (in thousands): 2017 $ 42,817 2016 36,212 2015 32,412 A summary of our property and equipment as of December 31 is as follows (in thousands): Useful Lives (in years) 2017 2016 Furniture, fixtures, and equipment 3 to 12 $ 277,014 $ 236,180 Buildings 3 to 30 130,712 130,050 Corporate aircraft 10 11,334 11,334 Leasehold improvements 3 to 15 50,616 40,312 Land 23,658 23,635 Construction in progress 4,575 8,534 Less accumulated depreciation (267,583 ) (217,092 ) Net property and equipment $ 230,326 $ 232,953 GOODWILL. Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of acquired businesses over the net of the fair value of identifiable tangible net assets and identifiable intangible assets purchased and liabilities assumed. Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level (operating segment or one level below an operating segment) on an annual basis (November 30 for us) and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. See Note 2. OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS. Other intangible assets include definite-lived customer lists, non-competition agreements, and indefinite-lived trademarks. The definite-lived intangible assets are being amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated lives, ranging from 5 to 8 years. Definite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The indefinite-lived trademarks are not amortized. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable, or annually, at a minimum. See Note 2. OTHER ASSETS. Other assets include such items as purchased and internally developed software, and the investments related to our nonqualified deferred compensation plan. We amortize software using the straight-line method over 3 years. We recognized the following amortization expense of purchased and internally developed software (in thousands): 2017 $ 13,887 2016 11,404 2015 9,624 A summary of our purchased and internally developed software as of December 31 is as follows (in thousands): 2017 2016 Purchased software $ 25,805 $ 23,753 Internally developed software 55,165 51,507 Less accumulated amortization (54,194 ) (47,957 ) Net software $ 26,776 $ 27,303 INCOME TAXES. Income taxes are accounted for using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted rates. Annual tax provisions include amounts considered sufficient to pay assessments that may result from examination of prior year tax returns; however, the amount ultimately paid upon resolution of issues raised may differ from the amounts accrued. The financial statement benefits of an uncertain income tax position are recognized when more likely than not, based on the technical merits, the position will be sustained upon examination. Unrecognized tax benefits are, more likely than not, owed to a taxing authority, and the amount of the contingency can be reasonably estimated. Uncertain income tax positions are included in “Noncurrent income taxes payable” in the consolidated balance sheets. COMPREHENSIVE INCOME. Our only component of other comprehensive income is foreign currency translation adjustment. It is presented on our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income gross of related income tax effects for 2017 and 2016, net of related income tax effects for 2015. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION. We issue stock awards, including stock options, performance shares, and restricted stock units, to key employees and outside directors. In general, the awards vest over five years , either based on the company’s earnings growth or the passage of time. The related compensation expense for each award is recognized over the appropriate vesting period. The fair value of each share-based payment award is established on the date of grant. For grants of shares and restricted stock units, the fair value is established based on the market price on the date of the 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 volatility and interest rates are the primary reason for changes in the discount. For grants of options, we use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of share-based payment awards. The determination of the fair value of share-based awards is affected by our stock price and a number of assumptions, including expected volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividends.

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE A

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS	GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS Goodwill was allocated to each segment based on their relative fair value at November 30, 2016 due to the reorganization of our reporting structure. After that date, we allocate goodwill to reporting units based on the reporting unit expected to benefit from the business combination. The change in the carrying amount of goodwill is as follows (in thousands): NAST Global Forwarding Robinson Fresh All Other and Corporate Total December 31, 2015 balance $ 815,639 $ 142,993 $ 125,469 $ 24,236 $ 1,108,337 Acquisitions 97,727 17,133 15,033 2,904 132,797 Translation (6,136 ) (1,076 ) (944 ) (182 ) (8,338 ) December 31, 2016 balance 907,230 159,050 139,558 26,958 1,232,796 Acquisitions 3,673 24,918 — — 28,591 Translation 10,583 1,905 1,627 314 14,429 December 31, 2017 balance $ 921,486 $ 185,873 $ 141,185 $ 27,272 $ 1,275,816 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, and additional impairment assessment is performed (“Step One Analysis”). Refer to Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates. No goodwill impairment has been recorded in any period presented. Identifiable intangible assets consisted of the following at December 31 (in thousands): 2017 2016 Cost Accumulated Amortization Net Cost Accumulated Amortization Net Finite-lived intangibles Customer relationships $ 263,093 $ (122,103 ) $ 140,990 $ 244,036 $ (87,199 ) $ 156,837 Non-competition agreements 300 (180 ) 120 500 (287 ) 213 Total finite-lived intangibles 263,393 (122,283 ) 141,110 244,536 (87,486 ) 157,050 Indefinite-lived intangibles Trademarks 10,475 — 10,475 10,475 — 10,475 Total intangibles $ 273,868 $ (122,283 ) $ 151,585 $ 255,011 $ (87,486 ) $ 167,525 Amortization expense for other intangible assets was (in thousands): 2017 $ 36,273 2016 27,053 2015 24,373 Finite-lived intangible assets, by reportable segment, as of December 31, 2017 , will be amortized over their remaining lives as follows (in thousands): NAST Global Forwarding Robinson Fresh All Other and Corporate Total 2018 $ 7,820 $ 29,297 $ — $ 41 $ 37,158 2019 7,820 29,297 — — 37,117 2020 260 26,593 — — 26,853 2021 260 13,072 — — 13,332 2022 260 13,072 — — 13,332 Thereafter 480 12,838 — — 13,318 Total $ 141,110

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
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. We had no Level 3 assets or liabilities as of and during the periods ended December 31, 2017 , or December 31, 2016 . There were no transfers between levels during the period.

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS	FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility On October 29, 2012, we entered into a senior unsecured revolving credit facility for up to $500 million with a $500 million accordion feature (the “Credit Agreement”), with a syndicate of financial institutions led by U.S. Bank. In December 2014, we amended the credit facility to increase the amount available from $500 million to $900 million and to extend the expiration date from October 2017 to December 2019. This facility allows us to continue to fund working capital, capital expenditures, dividends, and share repurchases. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016 , we had $715 million and $740 million in borrowings outstanding under the Credit Agreement, which is classified as a current liability on the consolidated balance sheets. At December 31, 2017 , we had borrowing availability of $185 million . 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. 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 December 31, 2017 , 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 weighted average interest rate incurred on borrowings during 2017 was approximately 2.2 percent and at December 31, 2017 , was approximately 2.7 percent . The weighted average interest rate incurred on borrowings during 2016 was approximately 1.5 percent and at December 31, 2016 , was approximately 1.9 percent . The Credit Agreement contains various restrictions and covenants. Among other requirements, we may not permit our leverage ratio, as of the end of each of our fiscal quarters, of (i) Consolidated Funded Indebtedness to (ii) Consolidated Total Capitalization to be greater than 0.65 to 1.00 . Additionally, as a result of amending the Note Purchase Agreement in February 2015, the ratio of (i) Consolidated Funded Indebtedness to (ii) EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), as of the end of each of our fiscal quarters, may not exceed 3.00 to 1.00 . We were in compliance with the financial debt covenants as of December 31, 2017 . 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”) named therein (the “Note Purchase Agreement”). Pursuant to the Note Purchase Agreement, the Purchasers purchased, on August 27, 2013, (i) $175 million aggregate principal amount of the company’s 3.97 percent Senior Notes, Series A, due August 27, 2023 (the “Series A Notes”), (ii) $150 million aggregate principal amount of the company’s 4.26 percent Senior Notes, Series B, due August 27, 2028 (the “Series B Notes”), and (iii) $175 million aggregate principal amount of the company’s 4.60 percent Senior Notes, Series C, due August 27, 2033 (the “Series C Notes” and, together with the Series A Notes and the Series B Notes, the “Notes”). Interest on the fixed-rate Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears. We applied the proceeds of the sale of the Notes for share repurchases. The Note Purchase Agreement contains customary provisions for transactions of this type, including representations and warranties regarding the company and its subsidiaries and various covenants, including covenants that require us to maintain specified financial ratios. The Note Purchase Agreement includes the following financial covenants: we will not permit our leverage ratio, as of the end of each of our fiscal quarters, of (i) Consolidated Funded Indebtedness to (ii) Consolidated Total Capitalization to be greater than 0.65 to 1.00 ; we will not permit the interest coverage ratio, as of the end of each of our fiscal quarters and for the twelve-month period ending, of (i) Consolidated EBIT (earnings before income taxes) to (ii) Consolidated Interest Expense to be less than 2.00 to 1.00 ; we will not permit, as of the end of each of our fiscal quarters, Consolidated Priority Debt to exceed 15% of Consolidated Total Assets. The Note Purchase Agreement was amended in February 2015 to conform its financial covenants to be consistent with the amended Credit Agreement. As a result of amending the Note Purchase Agreement in February 2015, the ratio of (i) Consolidated Funded Indebtedness to (ii) EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), as of the end of each of our fiscal quarters, may not exceed 3.00 to 1.00 . We were in compliance with the financial debt covenants as of December 31, 2017 . The Note Purchase Agreement provides for customary events of default, generally with corresponding grace periods, including, without limitation, payment defaults with respect to the Notes, covenant defaults, cross-defaults to other agreements evidencing indebtedness of the company or its subsidiaries, certain judgments against the company or its subsidiaries, and events of bankruptcy involving the company or its material subsidiaries. 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,” and accrued and unpaid interest (as defined in the Note Purchase Agreement) 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. The Notes were issued by the company to such initial Purchasers in a private placement in reliance on Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Notes will not be and have not been registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. The fair value of long-term debt was approximately $546.6 million at December 31, 2017 , and $528.0 million at December 31, 2016 . We estimate the fair value of our debt 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 credit risk. If our long-term debt was recorded at fair value, it would be classified as Level 2. 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 borrowings outstanding under the Receivables Securitization Facility were $250 million as of December 31, 2017 , and are classified as long-term debt on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The borrowings under the Receivables Securitization Facility were used to pay down amounts previously outstanding on the Credit Agreement. 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 for a combined rate of 2.0 percent for the year ended December 31, 2017 . The Receivables Securitization Facility expires on April 26, 2019, unless extended by the parties. There is a commitment fee we are required to pay on any unused portion of the facility. 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 including, but not limited to, the failure to pay yield, fees, and other amounts due, defaults on certain other indebtedness, failure to discharge certain judgments, insolvency events, change in control, and exceeding certain financial ratios designed to capture events negatively affecting the overall credit quality of the receivables. 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. As of December 31, 2017 , we were in compliance with all of the covenants under the Credit Agreement, Note Purchase Agreement, and Receivables Securitization Facility.

INCOME TAXES

INCOME TAXES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
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 income tax return. We file unitary or separate state returns based on state filing requirements. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). The Tax Act makes broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code, including but not limited to, reducing the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent and requiring companies to pay a one-time transition tax on certain unrepatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) 118, which provides guidance on accounting for the tax effects of the Tax Act. SAB 118 provides a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from the Tax Act enactment date for companies to complete the accounting under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 740. In accordance with SAB 118, a company must reflect the income tax effects of those aspects of the Tax Act for which the accounting under ASC 740 is complete. To the extent that a company’s accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act is incomplete but it is able to determine a reasonable estimate, it must record a provisional estimate in the financial statements. In connection with our initial analysis of the impact of the Tax Act, we have recorded a discrete net tax benefit of $12.1 million in the year ended December 31, 2017 . The net benefit consists of a benefit for the revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities of $22.9 million , a net expense for one-time impacts of the Tax Act of $6.8 million , and an expense for transition taxes of $4.0 million . 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. These items include our revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities and the expense for transition taxes. During 2017, we recorded a net tax benefit of $19.7 million due to deductions under Section 199 of the Internal Revenue Code. During the first quarter of 2017, we adopted ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718). The adoption of ASU 2016-09 prospectively impacts the recording of income taxes related to share-based payment awards in our consolidated financial position and results of operations, as well as the operating and financing cash flows on the consolidated statements of cash flows. This adoption resulted in a net tax benefit of $13.7 million during the year. During the first quarter of 2016, we asserted that we will indefinitely reinvest earnings of foreign subsidiaries to support expansion of our international business. In 2017, our indefinite reinvestment strategy, with respect to unremitted earnings of our foreign subsidiaries provided an approximate $3.7 million benefit to our provision for income taxes related to current year earnings. If we repatriated all foreign earnings, the estimated effect on income taxes payable would be an increase of approximately $12.1 million as of December 31, 2017 . 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 2010. Income before provision for income taxes consisted of (in thousands): 2017 2016 2015 Domestic $ 638,718 $ 710,931 $ 729,390 Foreign 89,745 101,019 93,391 Total $ 728,463 $ 811,950 $ 822,781 A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest and penalties, is as follows (in thousands): 2017 2016 2015 Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of period $ 12,268 $ 13,271 $ 18,274 Additions based on tax positions related to the current year 4,014 — 1,520 Additions for tax positions of prior years 16,713 55 — Reductions for tax positions of prior years — (211 ) (810 ) Lapse in statute of limitations (1,189 ) (847 ) (5,188 ) Settlements — — (525 ) Unrecognized tax benefits, end of the period $ 31,806 $ 12,268 $ 13,271 As of December 31, 2017 , we had $38.6 million of unrecognized tax benefits and related interest and penalties, all of which would affect our effective tax rate if recognized. We are not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefit will significantly increase or decrease in the next 12 months. Income tax expense considers amounts which may be needed to cover exposures for open tax years. We do not expect any material impact related to open tax years; however, actual settlements may differ from amounts accrued. We recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in the provision for income taxes. During the years ended December 31, 2017 , 2016 , and 2015 , we recognized approximately $0.7 million $0.9 million , and $1.2 million in interest and penalties. We had approximately $6.8 million and $6.6 million for the payment of interest and penalties accrued within noncurrent income taxes payable as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 . These amounts are not included in the reconciliation above. The components of the provision for income taxes consist of the following for the years ended December 31 (in thousands): 2017 2016 2015 Tax provision: Federal $ 189,708 $ 222,685 $ 259,793 State 29,320 31,786 37,129 Foreign 32,638 29,086 33,255 251,666 283,557 330,177 Deferred provision (benefit): Federal (21,389 ) 13,936 (14,559 ) State (3,048 ) 1,986 (2,074 ) Foreign (3,659 ) (913 ) (462 ) (28,096 ) 15,009 (17,095 ) Total provision $ 223,570 $ 298,566 $ 313,082 Our provision for income taxes decreased by $19.7 million due to the benefit of deductions under section 199 of the Internal Revenue Code, by $13.7 million due to our adoption of ASU 2016-09, and $12.1 million due to the impact of the Tax Act. A reconciliation of the provision for income taxes using the statutory federal income tax rate to our effective income tax rate for the years ended December 31 is as follows: 2017 2016 2015 Federal statutory rate 35.0 % 35.0 % 35.0 % State income taxes, net of federal benefit 2.6 2.7 2.8 Tax Act impact (1.7 ) — — Section 199 deduction (2.8 ) — — ASU 2016-09 adoption (1.9 ) — — Other (0.5 ) (0.9 ) 0.3 Effective income tax rate 30.7 % 36.8 % 38.1 % Deferred tax assets (liabilities) are comprised of the following at December 31 (in thousands): 2017 2016 Deferred tax assets: Compensation $ 52,538 $ 80,338 Receivables 8,819 13,471 Other 7,892 11,433 Deferred tax liabilities: Intangible assets (81,932 ) (131,698 ) Prepaid assets (8,247 ) (14,540 ) Long-lived assets (15,465 ) (21,268 ) Other (2,090 ) (608 ) Net deferred tax liabilities $ (38,485 ) $ (62,872 ) The Tax Act reduces the corporate tax rate to 21 percent , effective January 1, 2018. Consequently, we have recorded a provisional decrease related to deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities of $34.4 million and $57.3 million , respectively. We had foreign net operating loss carryforwards with a tax effect of $10.9 million as of December 31, 2017 , and $9.0 million as of December 31, 2016 . The net operating loss carryforwards will expire at various dates from 2018 to 2025, with certain jurisdictions having indefinite carryforward terms. A full valuation allowance has been established for these net operating loss carryforwards due to the uncertainty of the use of the tax benefit in future periods.

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD P

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS	CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS PREFERRED STOCK. Our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the issuance of 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.10 per share. There are no shares of preferred stock outstanding. The preferred stock may be issued by resolution of our Board of Directors at any time without any action of the stockholders. The Board of Directors may issue the preferred stock in one or more series and fix the designation and relative powers. These include voting powers, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations, and restrictions of each series. The issuance of any such series may have an adverse effect on the rights of holders of common stock and may impede the completion of a merger, tender offer, or other takeover attempt. COMMON STOCK. Our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes 480,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.10 per share. Subject to the rights of preferred stock which may from time to time be outstanding, holders of common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available, when and if declared by the Board of Directors, and to receive their share of the net assets of the company legally available for distribution upon liquidation or dissolution. For each share of common stock held, stockholders are entitled to one vote on each matter to be voted on by the stockholders, including the election of directors. Holders of common stock are not entitled to cumulative voting. The stockholders do not have preemptive rights. All outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable. 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 consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income for stock-based compensation is as follows (in thousands): 2017 2016 2015 Stock options $ 10,109 $ 9,178 $ 14,607 Stock awards 29,217 25,912 40,785 Company expense on ESPP discount 2,479 2,475 2,269 Total stock-based compensation expense $ 41,805 $ 37,565 $ 57,661 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 restricted 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 2,920,099 shares were available for stock awards under this plan as of December 31, 2017 . 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. We have awarded 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. 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 December 31, 2017 , unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options was $58.4 million . The amount of future expense to be recognized will be based on the company’s earnings growth and certain other conditions. The following schedule summarizes stock option activity in the plans. All outstanding unvested options as of December 31, 2017 , relate to performance-based grants from 2013 and 2014 and time-based grants from 2015 through 2017. Options Weighted Average Exercise Price Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands) Average Remaining Life (years) Outstanding at December 31, 2016 7,007,923 $ 67.00 $ 43,875 7.7 Grants 1,452,765 87.11 Exercised (388,135 ) 63.81 Terminated (690,481 ) 62.17 Outstanding at December 31, 2017 7,382,072 $ 71.58 $ 129,295 7.6 Vested at December 31, 2017 2,990,514 $ 65.79 6.3 Exercisable at December 31, 2017 2,990,514 $ 65.79 6.3 Additional potential dilutive stock options totaling 1,357,290 for 2017 have been excluded from our diluted net income per share calculations because these securities’ exercise prices were anti-dilutive (e.g., greater than the average market price of our common stock). Information on the intrinsic value of options exercised is as follows (in thousands): 2017 $ 6,026 2016 981 2015 400 The following table summarizes performance based options by vesting period: First Vesting Date Last Vesting Date Options Weighted Unvested Options December 31, 2014 December 31, 2018 1,412,773 11.83 403,149 December 31, 2015 December 31, 2019 1,271,223 14.17 682,926 2,683,996 $ 12.94 1,086,075 We issued no performance-based options in 2015, 2016, or 2017. We have awarded stock options 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 and is being expensed over the vesting period of the award. The following table summarizes these unvested stock option grants as of December 31, 2017 : First Vesting Date Last Vesting Date Options Weighted Unvested Options December 31, 2016 December 31, 2020 1,423,053 $ 12.66 855,984 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2021 1,253,169 $ 12.60 1,003,429 December 31, 2018 December 31, 2022 1,446,070 $ 14.24 1,446,070 4,122,292 $ 13.20 3,305,483 Determining Fair Value We estimated the fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. We estimate the fair value of restricted shares and units using the Black-Scholes option pricing model-protective put method. A description of significant assumptions used to estimate the expected volatility, risk-free interest rate, and expected terms is as follows: Expected Volatility -Expected volatility was determined based on implied volatility of our traded options and historical volatility of our stock price. Risk-Free Interest Rate -The risk-free interest rate was based on the implied yield available on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues at the date of grant with a term equal to the expected term. Expected Term - Expected term represents the period that our stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding and was determined based on historical experience and anticipated future exercise patterns, giving consideration to the contractual terms of unexercised stock-based awards. The fair value per option was estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions: 2017 Grants 2016 Grants 2015 Grants Risk-free interest rate 2.27-2.28% 2.13-2.14% 1.95-1.96% Dividend per share (quarterly amounts) $0.45-0.46 $0.43-0.45 $0.38-0.43 Expected volatility factor 19.0-21.5% 20.0-21.5% 22.0-24.0% Expected option term 6.20 years 6.26 years 6.29 years Weighted average fair value per option $ 14.23 $ 12.60 $ 12.68 FULL VALUE AWARDS. We have awarded performance-based restricted 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 the company’s 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. The following table summarizes our unvested performance based restricted shares and restricted stock unit grants as of December 31, 2017 : Number of Shares and Restricted Stock Units Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Unvested at December 31, 2016 1,245,175 $ 55.90 Granted 310,071 74.14 Vested (121,030 ) 55.77 Forfeitures (218,757 ) 49.51 Unvested at December 31, 2017 1,215,459 $ 61.71 The following table summarizes performance based restricted shares and restricted stock units by vesting period: First Vesting Date Last Vesting Date Performance Shares and Stock Units Granted, Net of Forfeitures Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (1) Unvested Performance Shares and Restricted Stock Units December 31, 2014 December 31, 2018 387,587 $ 46.50 109,784 December 31, 2015 December 31, 2019 329,596 60.80 175,904 December 31, 2016 December 31, 2020 392,990 51.88 309,300 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2021 343,014 64.91 312,142 December 31, 2018 December 31, 2022 308,329 74.19 308,329 1,761,516 $ 58.71 1,215,459 ________________________ (1) Amount shown is the weighted average grant date fair value of performance shares and restricted stock units granted, net of forfeitures. 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 and is being expensed over the vesting period of the award. The following table summarizes these unvested restricted share and restricted stock unit grants as of December 31, 2017 : Number of Restricted Shares and Stock Units Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Unvested at December 31, 2016 1,240,156 $ 56.70 Granted 280,097 74.17 Vested (386,859 ) 54.39 Forfeitures (75,944 ) 56.41 Unvested at December 31, 2017 1,057,450 $ 62.20 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. A summary of the fair value of full value awards vested (in thousands): 2017 $ 29,217 2016 25,912 2015 40,785 As of December 31, 2017 , there was unrecognized compensation expense of $140.8 million related to previously granted full value awards. The amount of future expense to be recognized will be based on the company’s earnings growth and the continued employment of certain key employees. EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN. Our 1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan 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 the quarter discounted by 15 percent . Shares are vested immediately. The following is a summary of the employee stock purchase plan activity (dollar amounts in thousands): Shares Purchased By Employees Aggregate Cost to Employees Expense Recognized By the Company 2017 215,613 $ 14,048 $ 2,479 2016 225,241 14,032 2,475 2015 228,103 13,045 2,269 SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAMS. During 2013, our Board of Directors increased the number of shares authorized to be repurchased by 15,000,000 shares (the “2013 Program”). The activity under this authorization is as follows (dollar amounts in thousands): Shares Repurchased Total Value of Shares 2013 Program 2013 Repurchases 930,075 $ 57,689 2014 Repurchases 3,763,583 239,037 2015 Repurchases 3,420,681 232,113 2016 Repurchases 2,467,097 176,676 2017 Repurchases 2,426,407 179,985 As of December 31, 2017 , there were 1,992,157 shares remaining for repurchase under the 2013 authorization.

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES	COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS. We offer a defined contribution plan, which qualifies under section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code and covers all eligible U.S. employees. We can also elect to make matching contributions to the plan. Annual discretionary contributions may also be made to the plan. Defined contribution plan expense, including matching contributions, was approximately (in thousands): 2017 $ 27,530 2016 25,740 2015 46,507 We have committed to a defined contribution match of four percent of eligible compensation in 2018. We contributed a defined contribution match of four percent in 2017, 2016, and 2015. NONQUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN. All restricted shares vested but not yet delivered, as well as a deferred share award granted to our CEO, are held within this plan. LEASE COMMITMENTS. We lease certain facilities and equipment under operating leases. Information regarding our lease expense is as follows (in thousands): 2017 $ 60,864 2016 55,170 2015 56,210 Minimum future lease commitments under noncancelable lease agreements in excess of one year as of December 31, 2017 , are as follows (in thousands): 2018 $ 51,273 2019 46,172 2020 39,825 2021 29,851 2022 22,807 Thereafter 92,797 Total $ 282,725 In addition to minimum lease payments, we are typically responsible under our lease agreements to pay our pro rata share of maintenance expenses, common charges, and real estate taxes of the buildings in which we lease space. 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 16 contingent auto liability cases as of December 31, 2017 . 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 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 not able 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

ACQUISITIONS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]
ACQUISITIONS	ACQUISITIONS On August 31, 2017, we acquired all of 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 $28.6 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 preliminary, subject to revision primarily related to certain income tax related balances expected to be finalized in 2018. 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. Pro forma financial information for prior periods is not presented because we believe the acquisition to be not material to our consolidated results. On September 30, 2016, we acquired all of the outstanding stock of APC Logistics (“APC”) for the purpose of expanding our global presence and bringing additional capabilities and expertise to the company’s portfolio. Total purchase consideration was $229.4 million , which was paid in cash. We used advances under the Credit Agreement to fund part of the cash consideration. The following is a summary of the allocation of purchase price consideration to the estimated fair value of net assets for the acquisition of APC (in thousands): Cash and cash equivalents $ 10,181 Receivables 37,190 Other current assets 2,609 Property and equipment 1,696 Identifiable intangible assets 78,842 Goodwill 132,797 Other noncurrent assets 70 Long term deferred tax asset 814 Total assets 264,199 Accounts payable (22,147 ) Accrued expenses (12,700 ) Net assets acquired $ 229,352 Identifiable intangible assets and estimated useful lives are as follows (dollars in thousands): Estimated Life (years) Customer relationships 7 $ 78,842 The APC goodwill is a result of acquiring and retaining the APC existing workforce and expected synergies from integrating their business into ours. Purchase accounting is considered final. The goodwill will not be deductible for tax purposes. The results of operations of APC have been included in our consolidated financial statements since October 1, 2016. Pro forma financial information for prior periods is not presented because we believe the acquisition to be not material to our consolidated results. On January 1, 2015, we acquired all of the outstanding stock of Freightquote.com, Inc., (“Freightquote”) for the purpose of enhancing our less than truckload (“LTL”) and truckload businesses and expanding our ecommerce capabilities. Total purchase consideration was $398.6 million , which was paid in cash. We used advances under the Credit Agreement to fund part of the cash consideration. The following is a summary of the allocation of purchase consideration to the estimated fair value of net assets for the acquisition of Freightquote (in thousands): Cash and cash equivalents $ 29,302 Receivables 56,228 Other current assets 2,395 Property and equipment 43,687 Identifiable intangible assets 37,800 Goodwill 287,220 Trademarks 8,600 Other noncurrent assets 3,421 Total assets 468,653 Accounts payable (44,622 ) Accrued expenses (5,485 ) Other liabilities (19,939 ) Net assets acquired $ 398,607 Following are the details of the purchase price allocated to the intangible assets acquired (dollars in thousands): Estimated Life (years) Customer relationships 5 $ 37,500 Noncompete agreements 5 300 Total identifiable intangible assets $ 37,800 We also acquired a trademark valued at $8.6 million , which has been determined to be indefinite-lived. The Freightquote goodwill is a result of acquiring and retaining the Freightquote existing workforce and expected synergies from integrating their business into ours. Purchase accounting is considered final. The goodwill will not be deductible for tax purposes. The results of operations of Freightquote have been included in our consolidated financial statements since the acquisition date of January 1, 2015.

SEGMENT REPORTING

SEGMENT REPORTING	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
SEGMENT REPORTING	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, air freight 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 for prior years has been retroactively recast to align with current year presentation. Segment information as of, and for the years ended, December 31, 2017 , 2016 , and 2015 is as follows (dollars in thousands): Twelve months ended December 31, 2017 NAST Global Forwarding Robinson Fresh All Other and Corporate Eliminations Consolidated Revenues $ 9,728,810 $ 2,140,987 $ 2,415,740 $ 583,843 $ — $ 14,869,380 Intersegment revenues (1) 462,390 30,198 167,292 18,174 (678,054 ) — Total Revenues $ 10,191,200 $ 2,171,185 $ 2,583,032 $ 602,017 $ (678,054 ) $ 14,869,380 Net Revenues $ 1,525,064 $ 485,280 $ 226,059 $ 131,647 $ — $ 2,368,050 Operating Income 628,110 91,842 53,374 1,793 — 775,119 Depreciation and amortization 23,230 33,308 4,730 31,709 — 92,977 Total assets (2) 2,277,252 821,182 434,080 703,320 — 4,235,834 Average headcount 6,907 4,310 957 2,513 — 14,687 Twelve months ended December 31, 2016 NAST Global Forwarding Robinson Fresh All Other and Corporate Eliminations Consolidated Revenues $ 8,737,716 $ 1,574,686 $ 2,344,131 $ 487,880 $ — $ 13,144,413 Intersegment revenues (1) 298,438 30,311 119,403 2,211 (450,363 ) — Total Revenues $ 9,036,154 $ 1,604,997 $ 2,463,534 $ 490,091 $ (450,363 ) $ 13,144,413 Net Revenues $ 1,524,355 $ 397,537 $ 234,794 $ 120,842 $ — $ 2,277,528 Operating Income 674,436 80,931 75,757 6,407 — 837,531 Depreciation and amortization 22,126 23,099 3,782 25,662 — 74,669 Total assets (2) 2,088,611 703,741 376,654 518,752 — 3,687,758 Average headcount 6,773 3,673 942 2,282 — 13,670 Twelve months ended December 31, 2015 NAST Global Forwarding Robinson Fresh All Other and Corporate Eliminations Consolidated Revenues $ 8,968,349 $ 1,639,944 $ 2,395,440 $ 472,351 $ — $ 13,476,084 Intersegment revenues (1) 271,557 19,102 89,033 2,107 (381,799 ) — Total Revenues $ 9,239,906 $ 1,659,046 $ 2,484,473 $ 474,458 $ (381,799 ) $ 13,476,084 Net Revenues $ 1,564,917 $ 365,467 $ 235,334 $ 102,762 $ — $ 2,268,480 Operating Income/(Loss) 718,329 76,081 81,332 (17,432 ) — 858,310 Depreciation and amortization 21,846 20,790 2,927 20,846 — 66,409 Total assets (2) 1,878,203 556,606 346,728 402,821 — 3,184,358 Average headcount 6,575 3,381 892 2,054 — 12,902 __________________________ (1) Intersegment revenues represent the sales between our segments and are eliminated to reconcile to our consolidated results. (2) All cash and cash equivalents and certain owned properties are included in All Other and Corporate. The following table presents our total revenues (based on location of the customer) and long-lived assets (including intangible and other assets) by geographic regions (in thousands): For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Total revenues United States $ 12,865,087 $ 11,749,602 $ 12,097,633 Other locations 2,004,293 1,394,811 1,378,451 Total revenues $ 14,869,380 $ 13,144,413 $ 13,476,084 As of December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Long-lived assets United States $ 335,072 $ 348,299 $ 320,445 Other locations 107,140 96,311 24,878 Total long-lived assets $ 442,212 $ 444,610 $ 345,323

CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER CO

CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Accumulated other comprehensive loss [Abstract]
CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS	CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS Accumulated other comprehensive loss is included in the Stockholders’ investment on our consolidated balance sheets. The recorded balance at December 31, 2017 , and December 31, 2016 , was $18.5 million and $61.4 million , respectively, and is comprised solely of foreign currency translation adjustment.

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRON

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements [Abstract]
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS	RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS 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 effective date. The new comprehensive revenue recognition standard will supersede 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 with a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings of approximately $10 million . The adoption of this standard will change the timing of revenue recognition for most of our transportation business from at delivery to over the transit period as our performance obligation is completed. Due to the short transit period of many of our performance obligations, we do not expect this change to have a material impact on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows once implemented. The new standard will expand our existing revenue recognition disclosures upon adoption beginning in the first quarter of 2018. In addition, we have identified certain customer contracts in our sourcing business that will change from a principal to an agent relationship under the new standard. This will cause the revenue associated with these contracts to be recognized at the net amount we charge our customers but will have no impact on income from operations. 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. 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. See Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements which presents our operating lease commitments as of December 31, 2017 . In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718). This update was issued as part of the FASB’s simplification initiative and affects all entities that issue share-based payment awards to their employees. The amendments in this update cover such areas as the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, the classification of those excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows, and accounting policy election for forfeitures, the amount an employer can withhold to cover income taxes and still qualify for equity classification, and the classification of those taxes paid on the statement of cash flows. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. During the first quarter of 2017, we adopted ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718). The adoption of ASU 2016-09 prospectively impacts the recording of income taxes related to share-based payment awards in our consolidated statement of financial position and results of operations, as well as the operating and financing cash flows on the consolidated statements of cash flows. The magnitude of such impacts are dependent on our future grants of stock-based compensation, our future stock price in relation to the fair value of awards on grant date, and the exercise behavior of our option holders. We prospectively adopted these provisions in the first quarter of 2017. This adoption resulted in a decrease in our provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2017 of $13.7 million . In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and other (Topic 350) . This update simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairment and removes Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. Instead, if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, any impairment loss shall be recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Entities will continue to have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary. The ASU is effective for annual and any interim impairment tests for periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. We early adopted this ASU for our annual impairment test performed on November 30, 2017. There was no impact resulting from this adoption on our consolidated financial statements. 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. 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. The amendment provides the option to reclassify stranded tax effects resulting from the 2017 Tax Act and 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, though early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of adopting this standard on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED)

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED)	SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED) Our unaudited results of operations for each of the quarters in the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 , are summarized below (in thousands, except per share data). 2017 March 31 (a) June 30 September 30 December 31 (b) Revenues: Transportation $ 3,102,043 $ 3,319,995 $ 3,433,701 $ 3,647,167 Sourcing 313,082 390,023 350,750 312,619 Total revenues 3,415,125 3,710,018 3,784,451 3,959,786 Costs and expenses: Purchased transportation and related services 2,563,885 2,781,355 2,869,616 3,042,434 Purchased products sourced for resale 282,674 354,874 320,989 285,503 Personnel expenses 290,504 284,220 293,204 311,599 Other selling, general, and administrative expenses 90,104 107,749 106,177 109,374 Total costs and expenses 3,227,167 3,528,198 3,589,986 3,748,910 Income from operations 187,958 181,820 194,465 210,876 Net income $ 122,080 $ 111,071 $ 119,186 $ 152,556 Basic net income per share $ 0.86 $ 0.79 $ 0.85 $ 1.09 Diluted net income per share $ 0.86 $ 0.78 $ 0.85 $ 1.08 Basic weighted average shares outstanding 141,484 141,061 140,422 139,572 Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards 374 526 600 1,152 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 141,858 141,587 141,022 140,724 Market price range of common stock: High $ 81.16 $ 78.31 $ 76.16 $ 89.89 Low $ 72.17 $ 66.33 $ 63.41 $ 74.30 __________________________ (a) Our provision for income taxes decreased in the first quarter of 2017 by $13.7 million due to our adoption of ASU 2016-09. (b) Our provision for income taxes decreased in the fourth quarter by $19.7 million due to the benefit of deductions under section 199 of the Internal Revenue Code and $12.1 million due to the impact of the Tax Act. 2016 March 31 June 30 September 30 December 31 Revenues: Transportation $ 2,713,688 $ 2,881,496 $ 2,998,583 $ 3,110,978 Sourcing 360,255 418,245 357,171 303,997 Total revenues 3,073,943 3,299,741 3,355,754 3,414,975 Costs and expenses: Purchased transportation and related services 2,179,622 2,324,995 2,469,939 2,575,378 Purchased products sourced for resale 330,986 380,531 327,353 278,081 Personnel expenses 277,497 270,251 256,883 260,305 Other selling, general, and administrative expenses 86,886 90,217 90,312 107,646 Total costs and expenses 2,874,991 3,065,994 3,144,487 3,221,410 Income from operations 198,952 233,747 211,267 193,565 Net income $ 118,963 $ 143,090 $ 129,028 $ 122,303 Basic net income per share $ 0.83 $ 1.00 $ 0.90 $ 0.86 Diluted net income per share $ 0.83 $ 1.00 $ 0.90 $ 0.86 Basic weighted average shares outstanding 143,525 142,998 142,611 141,711 Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards 133 218 272 453 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 143,658 143,216 142,883 142,164 Market price range of common stock: High $ 75.11 $ 76.10 $ 75.69 $ 77.89 Low $ 60.31 $ 69.84 $ 66.62 $ 65.57

SCHEDULE II. VALUATION AND QUAL

SCHEDULE II. VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]
SCHEDULE II. VALUTAION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS	SCHEDULE II. VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The transactions in the allowance for doubtful accounts for the years ended December 31, were as follows (in thousands): 2017 2016 2015 Balance, beginning of year $ 39,543 $ 43,455 $ 41,051 Provision 13,489 5,136 11,538 Write-offs (10,623 ) (9,048 ) (9,134 ) Balance, end of year $ 42,409 $ 39,543 $ 43,455 INDEX TO EXHIBITS Number Description 2.1 Agreement and Plan of Merger dated December 1, 2014 among C.H. Robinson Company Inc., Jayhawk Merger Subsidiary, Inc., Freightquote.com, Inc., and the Stockholders’ Representative named therein (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated December 2, 2014) 2.2 Share Sale Agreement dated August 26, 2016 by and among C.H. Robinson (Australia) Pty Ltd, and each of the vendors set forth on Schedule 1 of the Agreement (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on August 31, 2016) 3.1 Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (as amended on May 19, 2012 and incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed May 15, 2012) 3.2 Bylaws of the Company (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on August 15, 1997, Registration No. 333-33731) 4.1 Form of Certificate for Common Stock (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on October 9, 1997, Registration No. 333-33731, file no. 000-23189) †10.1 1997 Omnibus Stock Plan (as amended May 18, 2006) (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Proxy Statement on Form DEF 14A, filed on April 6, 2006, file no. 000-23189) †10.2 Amended and restated C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Proxy Statement on Form DEF 14A filed on April 1, 2016 on file no. 000-23189) 10.3 Credit Agreement dated as of October 29, 2012, among C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc., the lenders party thereto, and U.S. Bank National Association, as Administrative Agent for the Lenders, as Swing Line Lender and as LC Issuer (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed November 1, 2012) 10.4 Omnibus Amendment dated December 31, 2014 among C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc., the guarantors and lenders party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as LC Issuer, Swing Line Lender and Administrative Agent for the lenders, to that certain Credit Agreement dated, as of October 29, 2012, by and among the C.H. Robinson Company, Inc., the lenders, and U.S. Bank National Association, as LC Issuer Swing Line Lender and Administrative Agent for the Lenders (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 6, 2015) 10.5 Letter Agreement dated as of August 24, 2013, by and between C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as agent for JP Morgan Chase Bank, National Association (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 26, 2013) 10.6 Letter Agreement dated as of August 24, 2013, by and between C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 26, 2013) 10.7 Note Purchase Agreement dated as of August 23, 2013, by and among the Company and the Purchasers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 26, 2013) 10.8 First Amendment to Note Purchase Agreement dated February 20, 2015, by and among the Company and the Purchasers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Registrant Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014) 10.9 Receivables Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 26, 2017, by and among C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc., C.H. Robinson Receivables, LLC, Gotham Funding Corporation, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., New York Branch, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2017) 10.10 Receivables Sale Agreement, dated as of April 26, 2017, by and among C.H. Robinson Company Inc., C.H. Robinson Receivables, LLC, and C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2017) 10.11 Performance Guaranty, dated as of April 26, 2017, made by C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. for the benefit of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., New York Branch, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, Gotham Funding Corporation and other affected parties (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2017) †10.12 C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. 2015 Non-Equity Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Proxy Statement on Form DEF 14A, filed on March 27, 2015, file no. 000-23189) †10.13 Robinson Companies Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012) †10.14 Award of Deferred Shares into the Robinson Companies Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan, dated December 21, 2000, by and between C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and John P. Wiehoff (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000, file no. 000-23189) Number Description †10.15 2012 Form of Incentive Stock Option Agreement (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, file no. 000-23189) †10.16 2012 Form of Restricted Stock Award for U.S. Managerial Employees (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011) †10.17 2012 Form of Restricted Stock Award for Officers (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011) †10.18 2012 Form of Time-Based Restricted Stock Unit Award (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012) †10.19 Form of Incentive Stock Option Agreement (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014) †10.20 Form of Performance Share Award for Officers (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014) †10.21 Form of Performance Share Award for U.S. Managerial Employees (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014) †10.22 Form of Time-Based Restricted Stock Unit Award (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014) †10.23 Form of Incentive Stock Option (Time-Based U.S.) Agreement (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 of the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015) †10.24 Form of Key Employee Agreement (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013) †10.25 Form of Employee Confidentiality and Protection of Business Agreement (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013) *21 Subsidiaries of the Company *23.1 Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP *24 Powers of Attorney *31.1 Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 *31.2 Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 *32.1 Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 *32.2 Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 *101 The following financial statements from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, filed on February 28, 2018, formatted in XBRL: (i) Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, (ii) Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, (iii) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Investment for the years ended 2017, 2016, and 2015, and (v) the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks of text * Filed herewith † Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit to Form 10-K pursuant to Item 15(c) of the Form 10-K Report

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUN21

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [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 through a network of offices operating 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.
USE OF ESTIMATES	USE OF ESTIMATES. The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Estimates have been prepared on the basis of the most current and best information, and our actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
REVENUE RECOGNITION	REVENUE RECOGNITION. Total revenues consist of the total dollar value of goods and services purchased from us by 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. We act principally as the service provider for these transactions and recognize revenue as these services are rendered or goods are delivered. At that time, our obligations to the transactions are completed and collection of receivables is reasonably assured. 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 the primary obligor, we have credit risk, we have discretion to select the supplier, and we have latitude in pricing decisions. Additionally, in our sourcing business, we take loss of inventory risk during shipment and have general inventory risk. Certain transactions in customs brokerage, managed services, freight forwarding, and sourcing 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.
ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS	ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS. Accounts receivable are reduced by an allowance for amounts that may become uncollectible in the future. We continuously monitor payments from our customers and maintain a provision for uncollectible accounts based upon our customer aging trends, historical loss experience, and any specific customer collection issues that we have identified.
FOREIGN CURRENCY	FOREIGN CURRENCY. Most balance sheet accounts of foreign subsidiaries are translated or remeasured at the current exchange rate as of the end of the year. Statement of operations items are translated at average exchange rates during the year. The resulting translation adjustment is recorded net of tax as a separate component of comprehensive income in our statements of operations and comprehensive income in 2015. In 2016, we asserted that we will indefinitely reinvest earnings of foreign subsidiaries to support expansion of our international businesses and now the translation adjustment is recorded gross of related income tax benefits.
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS. Cash and cash equivalents consist of bank deposits.
PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER	PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER. Prepaid expenses and other include such items as prepaid rent, software maintenance contracts, insurance premiums, other prepaid operating expenses, and inventories, consisting primarily of produce and related products held for resale.
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT	PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT. Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Maintenance and repair expenditures are charged to expense as incurred. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated lives of the assets. Amortization of leasehold improvements is computed over the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements.
GOODWILL	GOODWILL. Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of acquired businesses over the net of the fair value of identifiable tangible net assets and identifiable intangible assets purchased and liabilities assumed. Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level (operating segment or one level below an operating segment) on an annual basis (November 30 for us) and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. 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, and additional impairment assessment is performed (“Step One Analysis”). Refer to Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates.
OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS	OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS. Other intangible assets include definite-lived customer lists, non-competition agreements, and indefinite-lived trademarks. The definite-lived intangible assets are being amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated lives, ranging from 5 to 8 years. Definite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The indefinite-lived trademarks are not amortized. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable, or annually, at a minimum.
OTHER ASSETS	OTHER ASSETS. Other assets include such items as purchased and internally developed software, and the investments related to our nonqualified deferred compensation plan. We amortize software using the straight-line method over 3 years.
INCOME TAXES	INCOME TAXES. Income taxes are accounted for using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted rates. Annual tax provisions include amounts considered sufficient to pay assessments that may result from examination of prior year tax returns; however, the amount ultimately paid upon resolution of issues raised may differ from the amounts accrued. The financial statement benefits of an uncertain income tax position are recognized when more likely than not, based on the technical merits, the position will be sustained upon examination. Unrecognized tax benefits are, more likely than not, owed to a taxing authority, and the amount of the contingency can be reasonably estimated. Uncertain income tax positions are included in “Noncurrent income taxes payable” in the consolidated balance sheets.
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME	COMPREHENSIVE INCOME. Our only component of other comprehensive income is foreign currency translation adjustment. It is presented on our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income gross of related income tax effects for 2017 and 2016, net of related income tax effects for 2015.
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION	STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION. We issue stock awards, including stock options, performance shares, and restricted stock units, to key employees and outside directors. In general, the awards vest over five years , either based on the company’s earnings growth or the passage of time. The related compensation expense for each award is recognized over the appropriate vesting period. The fair value of each share-based payment award is established on the date of grant. For grants of shares and restricted stock units, the fair value is established based on the market price on the date of the 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 volatility and interest rates are the primary reason for changes in the discount. For grants of options, we use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of share-based payment awards. The determination of the fair value of share-based awards is affected by our stock price and a number of assumptions, including expected volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividends.
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.
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRNOUNCEMENTS	RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS 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 effective date. The new comprehensive revenue recognition standard will supersede 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 with a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings of approximately $10 million . The adoption of this standard will change the timing of revenue recognition for most of our transportation business from at delivery to over the transit period as our performance obligation is completed. Due to the short transit period of many of our performance obligations, we do not expect this change to have a material impact on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows once implemented. The new standard will expand our existing revenue recognition disclosures upon adoption beginning in the first quarter of 2018. In addition, we have identified certain customer contracts in our sourcing business that will change from a principal to an agent relationship under the new standard. This will cause the revenue associated with these contracts to be recognized at the net amount we charge our customers but will have no impact on income from operations. 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. 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. See Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements which presents our operating lease commitments as of December 31, 2017 . In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718). This update was issued as part of the FASB’s simplification initiative and affects all entities that issue share-based payment awards to their employees. The amendments in this update cover such areas as the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, the classification of those excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows, and accounting policy election for forfeitures, the amount an employer can withhold to cover income taxes and still qualify for equity classification, and the classification of those taxes paid on the statement of cash flows. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. During the first quarter of 2017, we adopted ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718). The adoption of ASU 2016-09 prospectively impacts the recording of income taxes related to share-based payment awards in our consolidated statement of financial position and results of operations, as well as the operating and financing cash flows on the consolidated statements of cash flows. The magnitude of such impacts are dependent on our future grants of stock-based compensation, our future stock price in relation to the fair value of awards on grant date, and the exercise behavior of our option holders. We prospectively adopted these provisions in the first quarter of 2017. This adoption resulted in a decrease in our provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2017 of $13.7 million . In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and other (Topic 350) . This update simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairment and removes Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. Instead, if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, any impairment loss shall be recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Entities will continue to have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary. The ASU is effective for annual and any interim impairment tests for periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. We early adopted this ASU for our annual impairment test performed on November 30, 2017. There was no impact resulting from this adoption on our consolidated financial statements. 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. 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. The amendment provides the option to reclassify stranded tax effects resulting from the 2017 Tax Act and 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, though early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of adopting this standard on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUN22

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Schedule of Depreciation Expense	We recognized the following depreciation expense (in thousands): 2017 $ 42,817 2016 36,212 2015 32,412
Property, Plant and Equipment	A summary of our property and equipment as of December 31 is as follows (in thousands): Useful Lives (in years) 2017 2016 Furniture, fixtures, and equipment 3 to 12 $ 277,014 $ 236,180 Buildings 3 to 30 130,712 130,050 Corporate aircraft 10 11,334 11,334 Leasehold improvements 3 to 15 50,616 40,312 Land 23,658 23,635 Construction in progress 4,575 8,534 Less accumulated depreciation (267,583 ) (217,092 ) Net property and equipment $ 230,326 $ 232,953
Schedule of Amortization Expense of Software	We recognized the following amortization expense of purchased and internally developed software (in thousands): 2017 $ 13,887 2016 11,404 2015 9,624
Schedule of Other Assets, Noncurrent	A summary of our purchased and internally developed software as of December 31 is as follows (in thousands): 2017 2016 Purchased software $ 25,805 $ 23,753 Internally developed software 55,165 51,507 Less accumulated amortization (54,194 ) (47,957 ) Net software $ 26,776 $ 27,303

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE23

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Goodwill	The change in the carrying amount of goodwill is as follows (in thousands): NAST Global Forwarding Robinson Fresh All Other and Corporate Total December 31, 2015 balance $ 815,639 $ 142,993 $ 125,469 $ 24,236 $ 1,108,337 Acquisitions 97,727 17,133 15,033 2,904 132,797 Translation (6,136 ) (1,076 ) (944 ) (182 ) (8,338 ) December 31, 2016 balance 907,230 159,050 139,558 26,958 1,232,796 Acquisitions 3,673 24,918 — — 28,591 Translation 10,583 1,905 1,627 314 14,429 December 31, 2017 balance $ 921,486 $ 185,873 $ 141,185 $ 27,272 $ 1,275,816
Schedule of Intangible Assets	Identifiable intangible assets consisted of the following at December 31 (in thousands): 2017 2016 Cost Accumulated Amortization Net Cost Accumulated Amortization Net Finite-lived intangibles Customer relationships $ 263,093 $ (122,103 ) $ 140,990 $ 244,036 $ (87,199 ) $ 156,837 Non-competition agreements 300 (180 ) 120 500 (287 ) 213 Total finite-lived intangibles 263,393 (122,283 ) 141,110 244,536 (87,486 ) 157,050 Indefinite-lived intangibles Trademarks 10,475 — 10,475 10,475 — 10,475 Total intangibles $ 273,868 $ (122,283 ) $ 151,585 $ 255,011 $ (87,486 ) $ 167,525
Schedule of Amortization Expense	Amortization expense for other intangible assets was (in thousands): 2017 $ 36,273 2016 27,053 2015 24,373
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense	Finite-lived intangible assets, by reportable segment, as of December 31, 2017 , will be amortized over their remaining lives as follows (in thousands): NAST Global Forwarding Robinson Fresh All Other and Corporate Total 2018 $ 7,820 $ 29,297 $ — $ 41 $ 37,158 2019 7,820 29,297 — — 37,117 2020 260 26,593 — — 26,853 2021 260 13,072 — — 13,332 2022 260 13,072 — — 13,332 Thereafter 480 12,838 — — 13,318 Total $ 141,110

INCOME TAXES (Tables)

INCOME TAXES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Income before Income Tax, Domestic and Foreign	Income before provision for income taxes consisted of (in thousands): 2017 2016 2015 Domestic $ 638,718 $ 710,931 $ 729,390 Foreign 89,745 101,019 93,391 Total $ 728,463 $ 811,950 $ 822,781
Summary of Income Tax Contingencies	A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest and penalties, is as follows (in thousands): 2017 2016 2015 Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of period $ 12,268 $ 13,271 $ 18,274 Additions based on tax positions related to the current year 4,014 — 1,520 Additions for tax positions of prior years 16,713 55 — Reductions for tax positions of prior years — (211 ) (810 ) Lapse in statute of limitations (1,189 ) (847 ) (5,188 ) Settlements — — (525 ) Unrecognized tax benefits, end of the period $ 31,806 $ 12,268 $ 13,271
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	The components of the provision for income taxes consist of the following for the years ended December 31 (in thousands): 2017 2016 2015 Tax provision: Federal $ 189,708 $ 222,685 $ 259,793 State 29,320 31,786 37,129 Foreign 32,638 29,086 33,255 251,666 283,557 330,177 Deferred provision (benefit): Federal (21,389 ) 13,936 (14,559 ) State (3,048 ) 1,986 (2,074 ) Foreign (3,659 ) (913 ) (462 ) (28,096 ) 15,009 (17,095 ) Total provision $ 223,570 $ 298,566 $ 313,082
Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation	A reconciliation of the provision for income taxes using the statutory federal income tax rate to our effective income tax rate for the years ended December 31 is as follows: 2017 2016 2015 Federal statutory rate 35.0 % 35.0 % 35.0 % State income taxes, net of federal benefit 2.6 2.7 2.8 Tax Act impact (1.7 ) — — Section 199 deduction (2.8 ) — — ASU 2016-09 adoption (1.9 ) — — Other (0.5 ) (0.9 ) 0.3 Effective income tax rate 30.7 % 36.8 % 38.1 %
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	Deferred tax assets (liabilities) are comprised of the following at December 31 (in thousands): 2017 2016 Deferred tax assets: Compensation $ 52,538 $ 80,338 Receivables 8,819 13,471 Other 7,892 11,433 Deferred tax liabilities: Intangible assets (81,932 ) (131,698 ) Prepaid assets (8,247 ) (14,540 ) Long-lived assets (15,465 ) (21,268 ) Other (2,090 ) (608 ) Net deferred tax liabilities $ (38,485 ) $ (62,872 )

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD25

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
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 consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income for stock-based compensation is as follows (in thousands): 2017 2016 2015 Stock options $ 10,109 $ 9,178 $ 14,607 Stock awards 29,217 25,912 40,785 Company expense on ESPP discount 2,479 2,475 2,269 Total stock-based compensation expense $ 41,805 $ 37,565 $ 57,661
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Stock Options, Activity	The following schedule summarizes stock option activity in the plans. All outstanding unvested options as of December 31, 2017 , relate to performance-based grants from 2013 and 2014 and time-based grants from 2015 through 2017. Options Weighted Average Exercise Price Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands) Average Remaining Life (years) Outstanding at December 31, 2016 7,007,923 $ 67.00 $ 43,875 7.7 Grants 1,452,765 87.11 Exercised (388,135 ) 63.81 Terminated (690,481 ) 62.17 Outstanding at December 31, 2017 7,382,072 $ 71.58 $ 129,295 7.6 Vested at December 31, 2017 2,990,514 $ 65.79 6.3 Exercisable at December 31, 2017 2,990,514 $ 65.79 6.3
Schedule of Intrinsic Value of Options Exercised	Information on the intrinsic value of options exercised is as follows (in thousands): 2017 $ 6,026 2016 981 2015 400
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Activity	The following table summarizes these unvested stock option grants as of December 31, 2017 : First Vesting Date Last Vesting Date Options Weighted Unvested Options December 31, 2016 December 31, 2020 1,423,053 $ 12.66 855,984 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2021 1,253,169 $ 12.60 1,003,429 December 31, 2018 December 31, 2022 1,446,070 $ 14.24 1,446,070 4,122,292 $ 13.20 3,305,483 The following table summarizes performance based restricted shares and restricted stock units by vesting period: First Vesting Date Last Vesting Date Performance Shares and Stock Units Granted, Net of Forfeitures Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (1) Unvested Performance Shares and Restricted Stock Units December 31, 2014 December 31, 2018 387,587 $ 46.50 109,784 December 31, 2015 December 31, 2019 329,596 60.80 175,904 December 31, 2016 December 31, 2020 392,990 51.88 309,300 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2021 343,014 64.91 312,142 December 31, 2018 December 31, 2022 308,329 74.19 308,329 1,761,516 $ 58.71 1,215,459 ________________________ (1) Amount shown is the weighted average grant date fair value of performance shares and restricted stock units granted, net of forfeitures. The following table summarizes performance based options by vesting period: First Vesting Date Last Vesting Date Options Weighted Unvested Options December 31, 2014 December 31, 2018 1,412,773 11.83 403,149 December 31, 2015 December 31, 2019 1,271,223 14.17 682,926 2,683,996 $ 12.94 1,086,075
Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions	The fair value per option was estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions: 2017 Grants 2016 Grants 2015 Grants Risk-free interest rate 2.27-2.28% 2.13-2.14% 1.95-1.96% Dividend per share (quarterly amounts) $0.45-0.46 $0.43-0.45 $0.38-0.43 Expected volatility factor 19.0-21.5% 20.0-21.5% 22.0-24.0% Expected option term 6.20 years 6.26 years 6.29 years Weighted average fair value per option $ 14.23 $ 12.60 $ 12.68
Schedule of Nonvested Restricted Stock Units Activity	The following table summarizes our unvested performance based restricted shares and restricted stock unit grants as of December 31, 2017 : Number of Shares and Restricted Stock Units Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Unvested at December 31, 2016 1,245,175 $ 55.90 Granted 310,071 74.14 Vested (121,030 ) 55.77 Forfeitures (218,757 ) 49.51 Unvested at December 31, 2017 1,215,459 $ 61.71
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units Activity	The following table summarizes these unvested restricted share and restricted stock unit grants as of December 31, 2017 : Number of Restricted Shares and Stock Units Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Unvested at December 31, 2016 1,240,156 $ 56.70 Granted 280,097 74.17 Vested (386,859 ) 54.39 Forfeitures (75,944 ) 56.41 Unvested at December 31, 2017 1,057,450 $ 62.20
Schedule Of Fair Value Stock Awards Vested	A summary of the fair value of full value awards vested (in thousands): 2017 $ 29,217 2016 25,912 2015 40,785
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): Shares Purchased By Employees Aggregate Cost to Employees Expense Recognized By the Company 2017 215,613 $ 14,048 $ 2,479 2016 225,241 14,032 2,475 2015 228,103 13,045 2,269
Share Repurchase Program Disclosure	The activity under this authorization is as follows (dollar amounts in thousands): Shares Repurchased Total Value of Shares 2013 Program 2013 Repurchases 930,075 $ 57,689 2014 Repurchases 3,763,583 239,037 2015 Repurchases 3,420,681 232,113 2016 Repurchases 2,467,097 176,676 2017 Repurchases 2,426,407 179,985

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Costs of Retirement Plans	Defined contribution plan expense, including matching contributions, was approximately (in thousands): 2017 $ 27,530 2016 25,740 2015 46,507
Schedule of Lease Expenses	Information regarding our lease expense is as follows (in thousands): 2017 $ 60,864 2016 55,170 2015 56,210
Operating Leases of Lessee Disclosure	Minimum future lease commitments under noncancelable lease agreements in excess of one year as of December 31, 2017 , are as follows (in thousands): 2018 $ 51,273 2019 46,172 2020 39,825 2021 29,851 2022 22,807 Thereafter 92,797 Total $ 282,725

ACQUISITIONS (Tables)

ACQUISITIONS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
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 $ 78,842 Identifiable intangible assets and estimated useful lives are as follows (dollars in thousands): Estimated Life (years) Customer relationships 7 $ 14,004 Following are the details of the purchase price allocated to the intangible assets acquired (dollars in thousands): Estimated Life (years) Customer relationships 5 $ 37,500 Noncompete agreements 5 300 Total identifiable intangible assets $ 37,800
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The following is a summary of the allocation of purchase price consideration to the estimated fair value of net assets for the acquisition of APC (in thousands): Cash and cash equivalents $ 10,181 Receivables 37,190 Other current assets 2,609 Property and equipment 1,696 Identifiable intangible assets 78,842 Goodwill 132,797 Other noncurrent assets 70 Long term deferred tax asset 814 Total assets 264,199 Accounts payable (22,147 ) Accrued expenses (12,700 ) Net assets acquired $ 229,352 The following is a summary of the allocation of purchase consideration to the estimated fair value of net assets for the acquisition of Freightquote (in thousands): Cash and cash equivalents $ 29,302 Receivables 56,228 Other current assets 2,395 Property and equipment 43,687 Identifiable intangible assets 37,800 Goodwill 287,220 Trademarks 8,600 Other noncurrent assets 3,421 Total assets 468,653 Accounts payable (44,622 ) Accrued expenses (5,485 ) Other liabilities (19,939 ) Net assets acquired $ 398,607

SEGMENT REPORTING (Tables)

SEGMENT REPORTING (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Summary of Segment Information	Segment information as of, and for the years ended, December 31, 2017 , 2016 , and 2015 is as follows (dollars in thousands): Twelve months ended December 31, 2017 NAST Global Forwarding Robinson Fresh All Other and Corporate Eliminations Consolidated Revenues $ 9,728,810 $ 2,140,987 $ 2,415,740 $ 583,843 $ — $ 14,869,380 Intersegment revenues (1) 462,390 30,198 167,292 18,174 (678,054 ) — Total Revenues $ 10,191,200 $ 2,171,185 $ 2,583,032 $ 602,017 $ (678,054 ) $ 14,869,380 Net Revenues $ 1,525,064 $ 485,280 $ 226,059 $ 131,647 $ — $ 2,368,050 Operating Income 628,110 91,842 53,374 1,793 — 775,119 Depreciation and amortization 23,230 33,308 4,730 31,709 — 92,977 Total assets (2) 2,277,252 821,182 434,080 703,320 — 4,235,834 Average headcount 6,907 4,310 957 2,513 — 14,687 Twelve months ended December 31, 2016 NAST Global Forwarding Robinson Fresh All Other and Corporate Eliminations Consolidated Revenues $ 8,737,716 $ 1,574,686 $ 2,344,131 $ 487,880 $ — $ 13,144,413 Intersegment revenues (1) 298,438 30,311 119,403 2,211 (450,363 ) — Total Revenues $ 9,036,154 $ 1,604,997 $ 2,463,534 $ 490,091 $ (450,363 ) $ 13,144,413 Net Revenues $ 1,524,355 $ 397,537 $ 234,794 $ 120,842 $ — $ 2,277,528 Operating Income 674,436 80,931 75,757 6,407 — 837,531 Depreciation and amortization 22,126 23,099 3,782 25,662 — 74,669 Total assets (2) 2,088,611 703,741 376,654 518,752 — 3,687,758 Average headcount 6,773 3,673 942 2,282 — 13,670 Twelve months ended December 31, 2015 NAST Global Forwarding Robinson Fresh All Other and Corporate Eliminations Consolidated Revenues $ 8,968,349 $ 1,639,944 $ 2,395,440 $ 472,351 $ — $ 13,476,084 Intersegment revenues (1) 271,557 19,102 89,033 2,107 (381,799 ) — Total Revenues $ 9,239,906 $ 1,659,046 $ 2,484,473 $ 474,458 $ (381,799 ) $ 13,476,084 Net Revenues $ 1,564,917 $ 365,467 $ 235,334 $ 102,762 $ — $ 2,268,480 Operating Income/(Loss) 718,329 76,081 81,332 (17,432 ) — 858,310 Depreciation and amortization 21,846 20,790 2,927 20,846 — 66,409 Total assets (2) 1,878,203 556,606 346,728 402,821 — 3,184,358 Average headcount 6,575 3,381 892 2,054 — 12,902 __________________________ (1) Intersegment revenues represent the sales between our segments and are eliminated to reconcile to our consolidated results. (2) All cash and cash equivalents and certain owned properties are included in All Other and Corporate.
Schedule Of Revenues and Long Lived Assets by Geographic Regions	The following table presents our total revenues (based on location of the customer) and long-lived assets (including intangible and other assets) by geographic regions (in thousands): For the year ended December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Total revenues United States $ 12,865,087 $ 11,749,602 $ 12,097,633 Other locations 2,004,293 1,394,811 1,378,451 Total revenues $ 14,869,380 $ 13,144,413 $ 13,476,084 As of December 31, 2017 2016 2015 Long-lived assets United States $ 335,072 $ 348,299 $ 320,445 Other locations 107,140 96,311 24,878 Total long-lived assets $ 442,212 $ 444,610 $ 345,323

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED)

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Quarterly Financial Information	Our unaudited results of operations for each of the quarters in the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 , are summarized below (in thousands, except per share data). 2017 March 31 (a) June 30 September 30 December 31 (b) Revenues: Transportation $ 3,102,043 $ 3,319,995 $ 3,433,701 $ 3,647,167 Sourcing 313,082 390,023 350,750 312,619 Total revenues 3,415,125 3,710,018 3,784,451 3,959,786 Costs and expenses: Purchased transportation and related services 2,563,885 2,781,355 2,869,616 3,042,434 Purchased products sourced for resale 282,674 354,874 320,989 285,503 Personnel expenses 290,504 284,220 293,204 311,599 Other selling, general, and administrative expenses 90,104 107,749 106,177 109,374 Total costs and expenses 3,227,167 3,528,198 3,589,986 3,748,910 Income from operations 187,958 181,820 194,465 210,876 Net income $ 122,080 $ 111,071 $ 119,186 $ 152,556 Basic net income per share $ 0.86 $ 0.79 $ 0.85 $ 1.09 Diluted net income per share $ 0.86 $ 0.78 $ 0.85 $ 1.08 Basic weighted average shares outstanding 141,484 141,061 140,422 139,572 Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards 374 526 600 1,152 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 141,858 141,587 141,022 140,724 Market price range of common stock: High $ 81.16 $ 78.31 $ 76.16 $ 89.89 Low $ 72.17 $ 66.33 $ 63.41 $ 74.30 __________________________ (a) Our provision for income taxes decreased in the first quarter of 2017 by $13.7 million due to our adoption of ASU 2016-09. (b) Our provision for income taxes decreased in the fourth quarter by $19.7 million due to the benefit of deductions under section 199 of the Internal Revenue Code and $12.1 million due to the impact of the Tax Act. 2016 March 31 June 30 September 30 December 31 Revenues: Transportation $ 2,713,688 $ 2,881,496 $ 2,998,583 $ 3,110,978 Sourcing 360,255 418,245 357,171 303,997 Total revenues 3,073,943 3,299,741 3,355,754 3,414,975 Costs and expenses: Purchased transportation and related services 2,179,622 2,324,995 2,469,939 2,575,378 Purchased products sourced for resale 330,986 380,531 327,353 278,081 Personnel expenses 277,497 270,251 256,883 260,305 Other selling, general, and administrative expenses 86,886 90,217 90,312 107,646 Total costs and expenses 2,874,991 3,065,994 3,144,487 3,221,410 Income from operations 198,952 233,747 211,267 193,565 Net income $ 118,963 $ 143,090 $ 129,028 $ 122,303 Basic net income per share $ 0.83 $ 1.00 $ 0.90 $ 0.86 Diluted net income per share $ 0.83 $ 1.00 $ 0.90 $ 0.86 Basic weighted average shares outstanding 143,525 142,998 142,611 141,711 Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards 133 218 272 453 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 143,658 143,216 142,883 142,164 Market price range of common stock: High $ 75.11 $ 76.10 $ 75.69 $ 77.89 Low $ 60.31 $ 69.84 $ 66.62 $ 65.57

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUN30

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Depreciation Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Depreciation expense	$ 42,817	$ 36,212	$ 32,412

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUN31

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Summary of Property and Equipment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment	$ 497,909	$ 450,045
Less accumulated depreciation	(267,583)	(217,092)
Net property and equipment	230,326	232,953
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment	$ 277,014	236,180
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment | Minimum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Useful Lives (in years)	3 years
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment | Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Useful Lives (in years)	12 years
Buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment	$ 130,712	130,050
Buildings | Minimum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Useful Lives (in years)	3 years
Buildings | Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Useful Lives (in years)	30 years
Corporate aircraft
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Useful Lives (in years)	10 years
Property and equipment	$ 11,334	11,334
Leasehold improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment	$ 50,616	40,312
Leasehold improvements | Minimum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Useful Lives (in years)	3 years
Leasehold improvements | Maximum
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Useful Lives (in years)	15 years
Land
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment	$ 23,658	23,635
Construction in progress
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment	$ 4,575	$ 8,534

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUN32

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Additional Information (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017
Stock Option
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Stock award, vesting period	5 years
Full Value Awards
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Stock award, vesting period	5 years
Software
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated lives	3 years
Minimum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated lives	5 years
Minimum | Full Value Awards
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Restricted shares and restricted units grants, discount for post-vesting holding restrictions	15.00%
Maximum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated lives	8 years
Maximum | Full Value Awards
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Restricted shares and restricted units grants, discount for post-vesting holding restrictions	21.00%

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUN33

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Amortization Expense of Purchased and Internally Developed Software (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Software
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization expense	$ 13,887	$ 11,404	$ 9,624

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUN34

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Summary of Purchased and Internally Developed Software (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Less accumulated amortization	$ (122,283)	$ (87,486)
Net	141,110	157,050
Software
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Less accumulated amortization	(54,194)	(47,957)
Net	26,776	27,303
Software | Purchased software
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Software	25,805	23,753
Software | Internally developed software
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Software	$ 55,165	$ 51,507

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE35

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS - Change in the Carrying Amount of Goodwill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	$ 1,232,796	$ 1,108,337
Acquisitions	28,591	132,797
Translation	14,429	(8,338)
Balance, end of year	1,275,816	1,232,796
NAST
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	907,230	815,639
Acquisitions	3,673	97,727
Translation	10,583	(6,136)
Balance, end of year	921,486	907,230
Global Forwarding
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	159,050	142,993
Acquisitions	24,918	17,133
Translation	1,905	(1,076)
Balance, end of year	185,873	159,050
Robinson Fresh
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	139,558	125,469
Acquisitions	0	15,033
Translation	1,627	(944)
Balance, end of year	141,185	139,558
All Other and Corporate
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	26,958	24,236
Acquisitions	0	2,904
Translation	314	(182)
Balance, end of year	$ 27,272	$ 26,958

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE36

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS - Summary of Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Finite-lived intangibles
Finite-lived intangibles, Cost	$ 263,393	$ 244,536
Accumulated Amortization	(122,283)	(87,486)
Net	141,110	157,050
Indefinite-lived intangibles
Total intangibles, Cost	273,868	255,011
Total intangibles, Net	151,585	167,525
Trademarks
Indefinite-lived intangibles
Indefinite-lived intangibles	10,475	10,475
Customer relationships
Finite-lived intangibles
Finite-lived intangibles, Cost	263,093	244,036
Accumulated Amortization	(122,103)	(87,199)
Net	140,990	156,837
Noncompete agreements
Finite-lived intangibles
Finite-lived intangibles, Cost	300	500
Accumulated Amortization	(180)	(287)
Net	$ 120	$ 213

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE37

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS - Amortization Expense of Other Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Other Intangible Assets
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization expense	$ 36,273	$ 27,053	$ 24,373

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE38

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS - Estimated Amortization Expense on Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Estimated amortization expense
2,018	$ 37,158
2,019	37,117
2,020	26,853
2,021	13,332
2,022	13,332
Thereafter	13,318
Net	141,110	$ 157,050
NAST
Estimated amortization expense
2,018	7,820
2,019	7,820
2,020	260
2,021	260
2,022	260
Thereafter	480
Global Forwarding
Estimated amortization expense
2,018	29,297
2,019	29,297
2,020	26,593
2,021	13,072
2,022	13,072
Thereafter	12,838
Robinson Fresh
Estimated amortization expense
2,018	0
2,019	0
2,020	0
2,021	0
2,022	0
Thereafter	0
All Other and Corporate
Estimated amortization expense
2,018	41
2,019	0
2,020	0
2,021	0
2,022	0
Thereafter	$ 0

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT - Additi

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Liabilities and assets at fair value	$ 0	$ 0

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS - Additi

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS - Additional Information (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Apr. 26, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014USD ($)	Aug. 23, 2013USD ($)	Oct. 29, 2012USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Current portion of debt	$ 715,000,000	$ 740,000,000
Level 2
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt fair value	546,600,000	$ 528,000,000
Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2017 Term Loan | Unsecured Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity				$ 900,000,000		$ 500,000,000
Additional borrowing capacity credit facility						$ 500,000,000
Borrowing availability	$ 185,000,000
Debt instrument, interest rate during period	2.20%	1.50%
Debt, weighted average interest rate	2.70%	1.90%
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage ratio, minimum	0.65
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage debt to EBITDA ratio, maximum	3
Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2017 Term Loan | Unsecured Debt | Current Liability
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Current portion of debt	$ 715,000,000	$ 740,000,000
Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2017 Term Loan | Unsecured Debt | Federal Funds Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, basis spread on variable rate	0.50%
Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2017 Term Loan | Unsecured Debt | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, basis spread on variable rate	1.125%
Series A Notes | Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount					$ 175,000,000
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage					3.97%
Series B Notes | Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount					$ 150,000,000
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage					4.26%
Series C Notes | Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount					$ 175,000,000
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage					4.60%
Note Purchase Agreement | Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage ratio, minimum	0.65
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage debt to EBITDA ratio, maximum	3
Debt instrument, interest expense ratio, maximum	2
Debt instrument, priority debt, percentage	15.00%
Debt instrument, redemption price, percentage	100.00%
Receivables Securitization Facility | Secured Debt | The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., New York Branch and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity			$ 250,000,000
Borrowing outstanding	$ 250,000,000
Receivables Securitization Facility | Line of Credit | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) | Secured Debt | The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., New York Branch and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, basis spread on variable rate	1.95%

INCOME TAXES - Additional Infor

INCOME TAXES - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Provisional income tax benefit	$ 12,100
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, deferred tax assets and liabilities, income tax benefit	22,900
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, other impact, provisional income tax expense	6,800
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, transition tax, income tax expense	4,000
Tax benefit for qualified production activity	19,700
Provision for income taxes	223,570	$ 298,566	$ 313,082
Tax benefit related to earnings from foreign subsidiaries	3,700
Increase in income tax payable due to repatriation of foreign earnings	12,100
Unrecognized tax benefits and related interest and penalties, all of which would affect our effective tax rate if recognized	38,600
Interest and penalties recognized	700	900	$ 1,200
Interest and penalties accrued	6,800	6,600
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Change in Tax Rate, deferred tax asset, decrease in provision	(34,400)
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Change in Tax Rate, deferred tax liability, income tax benefit	57,300
Foreign net operating loss carryforwards tax effect	10,900	$ 9,000
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Provision for income taxes	$ 13,700

INCOME TAXES - Schedule of Earn

INCOME TAXES - Schedule of Earnings Before Income Tax Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Domestic	$ 638,718	$ 710,931	$ 729,390
Foreign	89,745	101,019	93,391
Income before provision for income taxes	$ 728,463	$ 811,950	$ 822,781

INCOME TAXES - Reconciliation o

INCOME TAXES - Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Interest and Penalties (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of period	$ 12,268	$ 13,271	$ 18,274
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year	4,014	0	1,520
Additions for tax positions of prior years	16,713	55	0
Reductions for tax positions of prior years	0	(211)	(810)
Lapse in statute of limitations	(1,189)	(847)	(5,188)
Settlements	0	0	(525)
Unrecognized tax benefits, end of the period	$ 31,806	$ 12,268	$ 13,271

INCOME TAXES - Components of th

INCOME TAXES - Components of the Provision for Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Tax provision:
Federal	$ 189,708	$ 222,685	$ 259,793
State	29,320	31,786	37,129
Foreign	32,638	29,086	33,255
Current income tax expense (benefit), total	251,666	283,557	330,177
Deferred provision (benefit):
Federal	(21,389)	13,936	(14,559)
State	(3,048)	1,986	(2,074)
Foreign	(3,659)	(913)	(462)
Deferred provision (benefit), total	(28,096)	15,009	(17,095)
Total provision	$ 223,570	$ 298,566	$ 313,082

INCOME TAXES - Reconciliation45

INCOME TAXES - Reconciliation of the Provision for Income Taxes using Statutory Federal Income Tax Rate to the Effective Income Tax Rate (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Federal statutory rate	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
State income taxes, net of federal benefit	2.60%	2.70%	2.80%
Tax Act impact	(1.70%)	0.00%	0.00%
Section 199 deduction	(2.80%)	(0.00%)	(0.00%)
ASU 2016-09 adoption	(1.90%)	(0.00%)	(0.00%)
Other	(0.50%)	(0.90%)	0.30%
Effective income tax rate	30.70%	36.80%	38.10%

INCOME TAXES - Deferred Tax Ass

INCOME TAXES - Deferred Tax Assets (Liabilities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Deferred tax assets:
Compensation	$ 52,538	$ 80,338
Receivables	8,819	13,471
Other	7,892	11,433
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible assets	(81,932)	(131,698)
Prepaid assets	(8,247)	(14,540)
Long-lived assets	(15,465)	(21,268)
Other	(2,090)	(608)
Net deferred tax liabilities	$ (38,485)	$ (62,872)

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD47

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Additional Information (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)vote$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2016$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2015shares	May 12, 2016shares	Dec. 31, 2013shares
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	20,000,000	20,000,000
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 0.10	$ 0.10
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	0	0
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	480,000,000	480,000,000
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 0.10	$ 0.10
Entitled vote for each share of Common Stock (vote) | vote	1
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares)	1,357,290
Maximum employee contribution to purchase company stock | $	$ 10,000
Discount rate used to determine the purchase price	15.00%
2013 Program
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized to be repurchased (in shares)					15,000,000
Shares remaining for repurchase under authorization (in shares)	1,992,157
Stock Option
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Maximum shares that can be granted under stock plan (in shares)				13,041,803
Shares available for stock awards (in shares)	2,920,099
Stock award, vesting period	5 years
Unrecognized compensation expense | $	$ 58,400,000
Performance Shares
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Options issued during period (in shares)	0	0	0
Full Value Awards
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Stock award, vesting period	5 years
Unrecognized compensation expense | $	$ 140,800,000
Full Value Awards | Minimum
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Restricted shares and restricted units grants, discount for post-vesting holding restrictions	15.00%
Full Value Awards | Maximum
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Restricted shares and restricted units grants, discount for post-vesting holding restrictions	21.00%

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD48

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Summary of Total Compensation Expense Recognized in Statements of Operations for Stock-Based Compensation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 41,805	$ 37,565	$ 57,661
Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	10,109	9,178	14,607
Stock awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	29,217	25,912	40,785
Company expense on ESPP discount
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 2,479	$ 2,475	$ 2,269

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD49

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Summary of Stock Option Activity (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Options
Outstanding, Beginning Balance (in shares)	7,007,923
Grants (in shares)	1,452,765
Exercised (in shares)	(388,135)
Terminated (in shares)	(690,481)
Outstanding, Ending Balance (in shares)	7,382,072	7,007,923
Vested (in shares)	2,990,514
Exercisable (in shares)	2,990,514
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding, Beginning Balance (in dollars per share)	$ 67
Grants (in dollars per share)	87.11
Exercised (in dollars per share)	63.81
Terminated (in dollars per share)	62.17
Outstanding, Ending Balance (in dollars per share)	71.58	$ 67
Vested (in dollars per share)	65.79
Exercisable (in dollars per share)	$ 65.79
Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands)
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, outstanding options	$ 129,295	$ 43,875
Average Remaining Life (years)
Average Remaining Life, outstanding options	7 years 7 months 6 days	7 years 8 months 12 days
Vested	6 years 3 months 19 days
Exercisable	6 years 3 months 19 days

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD50

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Intrinsic Value of Options Exercised (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Intrinsic value	$ 6,026	$ 981	$ 400

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD51

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Summary of Stock Options Grants by First Vesting Date (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Granted, Net of Forfeitures (in shares)	4,122,292
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 13.20
Unvested Options (in shares)	3,305,483
December 31, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Granted, Net of Forfeitures (in shares)	1,423,053
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 12.66
Unvested Options (in shares)	855,984
December 31, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Granted, Net of Forfeitures (in shares)	1,253,169
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 12.60
Unvested Options (in shares)	1,003,429
December 31, 2018
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Granted, Net of Forfeitures (in shares)	1,446,070
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 14.24
Unvested Options (in shares)	1,446,070
Performance Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Granted, Net of Forfeitures (in shares)	2,683,996
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 12.94
Unvested Options (in shares)	1,086,075
Performance Shares | December 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Granted, Net of Forfeitures (in shares)	1,412,773
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 11.83
Unvested Options (in shares)	403,149
Performance Shares | December 31, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Granted, Net of Forfeitures (in shares)	1,271,223
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 14.17
Unvested Options (in shares)	682,926

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD52

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Assumptions Used in Estimating the Fair Value Per Option (Details) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate, minimum	2.27%	2.13%	1.95%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum	2.28%	2.14%	1.96%
Expected volatilty factor, minimum	19.00%	20.00%	22.00%
Expected volatility factor maximum	21.50%	21.50%	24.00%
Expected option term	6 years 2 months 12 days	6 years 3 months 4 days	6 years 3 months 15 days
Weighted average fair value per option (in dollars per share)	$ 14.23	$ 12.60	$ 12.68
Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Dividend per share (quarterly amounts) (in dollars per share)	0.45	0.43	0.38
Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Dividend per share (quarterly amounts) (in dollars per share)	$ 0.46	$ 0.45	$ 0.43

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD53

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Summary of Nonvested Performance-Based Restricted Stock Grants (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017$ / sharesshares
Number of Shares and Restricted Stock Units
Unvested, Ending Balance (in shares) | shares	1,215,459
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested, Ending Balance (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 58.71
Performance Based Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units
Number of Shares and Restricted Stock Units
Unvested, Beginning Balance (in shares) | shares	1,245,175
Granted (in shares) | shares	310,071
Vested (in shares) | shares	(121,030)
Forfeitures (in shares) | shares	(218,757)
Unvested, Ending Balance (in shares) | shares	1,215,459
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested, Beginning Balance (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 55.90
Granted (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	74.14
Vested (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	55.77
Forfeitures (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	49.51
Unvested, Ending Balance (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 61.71

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD54

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Summary of Performance Based Shares and Units by First Vesting Date (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures (in shares)	1,761,516
Weighted average grant date fair value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 58.71
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units (in shares)	1,215,459
December 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures (in shares)	387,587
Weighted average grant date fair value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 46.50
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units (in shares)	109,784
December 31, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures (in shares)	329,596
Weighted average grant date fair value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 60.80
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units (in shares)	175,904
December 31, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures (in shares)	392,990
Weighted average grant date fair value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 51.88
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units (in shares)	309,300
December 31, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures (in shares)	343,014
Weighted average grant date fair value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 64.91
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units (in shares)	312,142
December 31, 2018
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures (in shares)	308,329
Weighted average grant date fair value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 74.19
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units (in shares)	308,329

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD55

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Summary of Nonvested Restricted Stock Grants (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017$ / sharesshares
Number of Restricted Shares and Stock Units
Unvested, Ending Balance (in shares) | shares	1,215,459
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested, Ending Balance (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 58.71
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units
Number of Restricted Shares and Stock Units
Unvested, Beginning Balance (in shares) | shares	1,240,156
Granted (in shares) | shares	280,097
Vested (in shares) | shares	(386,859)
Forfeitures (in shares) | shares	(75,944)
Unvested, Ending Balance (in shares) | shares	1,057,450
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested, Beginning Balance (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 56.70
Granted (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	74.17
Vested (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	54.39
Forfeitures (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	56.41
Unvested, Ending Balance (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 62.20

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD56

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Summary of Fair Value of Full Value Stock Vested (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Full Value Awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Fair value	$ 29,217	$ 25,912	$ 40,785

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD57

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Summary of Employee Stock Purchase Plan Activity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares Purchased By Employees (in shares)	215,613	225,241	228,103
Aggregate Cost to Employees	$ 14,048	$ 14,032	$ 13,045
Expense Recognized By the Company	41,805	37,565	57,661
Company expense on ESPP discount
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expense Recognized By the Company	$ 2,479	$ 2,475	$ 2,269

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD58

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Share Repurchase Programs Activity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Total Value of Shares Repurchased	$ 179,985	$ 176,676	$ 232,113
2013 Program
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Shares Repurchased (in shares)	2,426,407	2,467,097	3,420,681	3,763,583	930,075
Total Value of Shares Repurchased	$ 179,985	$ 176,676	$ 232,113	$ 239,037	$ 57,689

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES -

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES - Profit-Sharing Plan Expense, Including Matching Contributions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Profit-sharing plan expense	$ 27,530	$ 25,740	$ 46,507

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES60

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES - Additional Information (Details) - case	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Defined contribution match		4.00%	4.00%	4.00%
Pending litigation claims, number (case)		16
Subsequent Event
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Defined contribution match	4.00%

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES61

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES - Lease Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Lease expense	$ 60,864	$ 55,170	$ 56,210

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES62

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES - Minimum Future Lease Commitments Under Noncancelable Lease Agreements (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
2,018	$ 51,273
2,019	46,172
2,020	39,825
2,021	29,851
2,022	22,807
Thereafter	92,797
Total	$ 282,725

ACQUISITIONS - Additional Infor

ACQUISITIONS - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Jan. 01, 2015	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase consideration, net of cash acquired				$ 49,068	$ 220,203	$ 369,833
Goodwill recorded in acquisition				28,591	$ 132,797
Milgram & Company Ltd.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase consideration, net of cash acquired	$ 47,300
Goodwill recorded in acquisition				$ 28,600
APC Logistics
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to acquire business		$ 229,400
Freightquote
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to acquire business			$ 398,600
Freightquote | Trademarks
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Indefinite-lived intangible assets acquired			$ 8,600

ACQUISITIONS - Summary of Ident

ACQUISITIONS - Summary of Identifiable Intangible Assets and Estimated Useful Lives (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Jan. 01, 2015
Milgram & Company Ltd. | Customer relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Life (years)	7 years
Identifiable intangible assets	$ 14,004
APC Logistics
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets		$ 78,842
APC Logistics | Customer relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Life (years)		7 years
Identifiable intangible assets		$ 78,842
Freightquote
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets			$ 37,800
Freightquote | Customer relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Life (years)			5 years
Identifiable intangible assets			$ 37,500
Freightquote | Noncompete agreements
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Life (years)			5 years
Identifiable intangible assets			$ 300

ACQUISITIONS - Summary of Purch

ACQUISITIONS - Summary of Purchase Allocation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Jan. 01, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 1,275,816	$ 1,232,796		$ 1,108,337
APC Logistics
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents			$ 10,181
Receivables			37,190
Other current assets			2,609
Property and equipment			1,696
Identifiable intangible assets			78,842
Goodwill			132,797
Other noncurrent assets			70
Long term deferred tax asset			814
Total assets			264,199
Accounts payable			(22,147)
Accrued expenses			(12,700)
Net assets acquired			$ 229,352
Freightquote
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents					$ 29,302
Receivables					56,228
Other current assets					2,395
Property and equipment					43,687
Identifiable intangible assets					37,800
Goodwill					287,220
Trademarks					8,600
Other noncurrent assets					3,421
Total assets					468,653
Accounts payable					(44,622)
Accrued expenses					(5,485)
Other liabilities					(19,939)
Net assets acquired					$ 398,607

SEGMENT REPORTING - Additional

SEGMENT REPORTING - Additional Information (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of reportable segments (segment)	3

SEGMENT REPORTING - Summary of

SEGMENT REPORTING - Summary of Segment Information (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)employee	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)employee	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)employee
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues	$ 3,959,786	$ 3,784,451	$ 3,710,018	$ 3,415,125	$ 3,414,975	$ 3,355,754	$ 3,299,741	$ 3,073,943	$ 14,869,380	$ 13,144,413	$ 13,476,084
Net Revenues									2,368,050	2,277,528	2,268,480
Operating Income	210,876	$ 194,465	$ 181,820	$ 187,958	193,565	$ 211,267	$ 233,747	$ 198,952	775,119	837,531	858,310
Depreciation and amortization									92,977	74,669	66,409
Total assets	4,235,834				3,687,758				$ 4,235,834	$ 3,687,758	$ 3,184,358
Weighted Average
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Average headcount (employee) | employee									14,687	13,670	12,902
NAST
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									$ 10,191,200	$ 9,036,154	$ 9,239,906
Net Revenues									1,525,064	1,524,355	1,564,917
Operating Income									628,110	674,436	718,329
Depreciation and amortization									23,230	22,126	21,846
Total assets	2,277,252				2,088,611				$ 2,277,252	$ 2,088,611	$ 1,878,203
NAST | Weighted Average
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Average headcount (employee) | employee									6,907	6,773	6,575
Global Forwarding
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									$ 2,171,185	$ 1,604,997	$ 1,659,046
Net Revenues									485,280	397,537	365,467
Operating Income									91,842	80,931	76,081
Depreciation and amortization									33,308	23,099	20,790
Total assets	821,182				703,741				$ 821,182	$ 703,741	$ 556,606
Global Forwarding | Weighted Average
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Average headcount (employee) | employee									4,310	3,673	3,381
Robinson Fresh
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									$ 2,583,032	$ 2,463,534	$ 2,484,473
Net Revenues									226,059	234,794	235,334
Operating Income									53,374	75,757	81,332
Depreciation and amortization									4,730	3,782	2,927
Total assets	434,080				376,654				$ 434,080	$ 376,654	$ 346,728
Robinson Fresh | Weighted Average
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Average headcount (employee) | employee									957	942	892
All Other and Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									$ 602,017	$ 490,091	$ 474,458
Net Revenues									131,647	120,842	102,762
Operating Income									1,793	6,407	(17,432)
Depreciation and amortization									31,709	25,662	20,846
Total assets	$ 703,320				$ 518,752				$ 703,320	$ 518,752	$ 402,821
All Other and Corporate | Weighted Average
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Average headcount (employee) | employee									2,513	2,282	2,054
Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									$ 14,869,380	$ 13,144,413	$ 13,476,084
Operating Segments | NAST
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									9,728,810	8,737,716	8,968,349
Operating Segments | Global Forwarding
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									2,140,987	1,574,686	1,639,944
Operating Segments | Robinson Fresh
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									2,415,740	2,344,131	2,395,440
Operating Segments | All Other and Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									583,843	487,880	472,351
Eliminations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									(678,054)	(450,363)	(381,799)
Eliminations | NAST
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									462,390	298,438	271,557
Eliminations | Global Forwarding
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									30,198	30,311	19,102
Eliminations | Robinson Fresh
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									167,292	119,403	89,033
Eliminations | All Other and Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Revenues									$ 18,174	$ 2,211	$ 2,107

SEGMENT REPORTING - Total Reven

SEGMENT REPORTING - Total Revenues Based on Location of the Customer and Long-Lived Assets by Geographic Regions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Total revenues
Total Revenues	$ 3,959,786	$ 3,784,451	$ 3,710,018	$ 3,415,125	$ 3,414,975	$ 3,355,754	$ 3,299,741	$ 3,073,943	$ 14,869,380	$ 13,144,413	$ 13,476,084
Long-lived assets
Total long-lived assets	442,212				444,610				442,212	444,610	345,323
United States
Total revenues
Total Revenues									12,865,087	11,749,602	12,097,633
Long-lived assets
Total long-lived assets	335,072				348,299				335,072	348,299	320,445
Other locations
Total revenues
Total Revenues									2,004,293	1,394,811	1,378,451
Long-lived assets
Total long-lived assets	$ 107,140				$ 96,311				$ 107,140	$ 96,311	$ 24,878

CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER 69

CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accumulated other comprehensive loss [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	$ (18,460)	$ (61,442)

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PR70

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Jan. 01, 2018
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Retained earnings	$ 3,437,093	$ 3,190,578
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	13,657	$ 18,462	$ 8,548
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	$ 13,700
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 | Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 | Pro Forma
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Retained earnings				$ 10,000

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED71

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED) - Summary of Unaudited Results of Operations for Each Quarter (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Revenues:
Transportation	$ 3,647,167	$ 3,433,701	$ 3,319,995	$ 3,102,043	$ 3,110,978	$ 2,998,583	$ 2,881,496	$ 2,713,688	$ 13,502,906	$ 11,704,745	$ 11,989,780
Sourcing	312,619	350,750	390,023	313,082	303,997	357,171	418,245	360,255	1,366,474	1,439,668	1,486,304
Total revenues	3,959,786	3,784,451	3,710,018	3,415,125	3,414,975	3,355,754	3,299,741	3,073,943	14,869,380	13,144,413	13,476,084
Costs and expenses:
Purchased transportation and related services	3,042,434	2,869,616	2,781,355	2,563,885	2,575,378	2,469,939	2,324,995	2,179,622	11,257,290	9,549,934	9,842,271
Purchased products sourced for resale	285,503	320,989	354,874	282,674	278,081	327,353	380,531	330,986	1,244,040	1,316,951	1,365,333
Personnel expenses	311,599	293,204	284,220	290,504	260,305	256,883	270,251	277,497	1,179,527	1,064,936	1,051,410
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	109,374	106,177	107,749	90,104	107,646	90,312	90,217	86,886	413,404	375,061	358,760
Total costs and expenses	3,748,910	3,589,986	3,528,198	3,227,167	3,221,410	3,144,487	3,065,994	2,874,991	14,094,261	12,306,882	12,617,774
Income from operations	210,876	194,465	181,820	187,958	193,565	211,267	233,747	198,952	775,119	837,531	858,310
Net income	$ 152,556	$ 119,186	$ 111,071	$ 122,080	$ 122,303	$ 129,028	$ 143,090	$ 118,963	$ 504,893	$ 513,384	$ 509,699
Basic net income per share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.09	$ 0.85	$ 0.79	$ 0.86	$ 0.86	$ 0.90	$ 1	$ 0.83	$ 3.59	$ 3.60	$ 3.52
Diluted net income per share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.08	$ 0.85	$ 0.78	$ 0.86	$ 0.86	$ 0.90	$ 1	$ 0.83	$ 3.57	$ 3.59	$ 3.51
Basic weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	139,572	140,422	141,061	141,484	141,711	142,611	142,998	143,525	140,610	142,706	144,967
Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards (in shares)	1,152	600	526	374	453	272	218	133	772	285	382
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	140,724	141,022	141,587	141,858	142,164	142,883	143,216	143,658	141,382	142,991	145,349
Market price range of common stock:
High (in dollars per share)	$ 89.89	$ 76.16	$ 78.31	$ 81.16	$ 77.89	$ 75.69	$ 76.10	$ 75.11
Low (in dollars per share)	$ 74.30	$ 63.41	$ 66.33	$ 72.17	$ 65.57	$ 66.62	$ 69.84	$ 60.31
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Provision for income taxes									$ 223,570	$ 298,566	$ 313,082
Tax benefit for qualified production activity									19,700
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Provisional income tax benefit									12,100
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Provision for income taxes									$ 13,700

SCHEDULE II. VALUATION AND QU72

SCHEDULE II. VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS - Transactions in the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	$ 39,543	$ 43,455	$ 41,051
Provision	13,489	5,136	11,538
Write-offs	(10,623)	(9,048)	(9,134)
Balance, end of year	$ 42,409	$ 39,543	$ 43,455