C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) 10-K 2 Mar 15 2014 FY Annual report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Feb. 24, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Document Period End Date	31-Dec-14
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	CHRW
Entity Registrant Name	C H ROBINSON WORLDWIDE INC
Entity Central Index Key	1043277
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		146,328,737
Entity Public Float			$9,309,100,899

CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE_SHEETS

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$128,940	$162,047
Restricted cash	359,388	0
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $41,051 and $39,292	1,571,591	1,449,581
Deferred tax asset	7,746	8,286
Prepaid expenses and other	37,794	44,571
Total current assets	2,105,459	1,664,485
Property and equipment	313,688	300,795
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	-161,217	-140,092
Net property and equipment	152,471	160,703
Goodwill	825,038	829,073
Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $36,917 and $33,325	98,330	117,467
Other assets	33,040	31,090
Total assets	3,214,338	2,802,818
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	716,654	685,890
Outstanding checks	78,601	69,117
Accrued expenses–
Compensation and profit-sharing contribution	125,624	85,247
Income taxes	4,616	11,681
Other accrued liabilities	45,365	43,046
Current portion of debt	605,000	375,000
Total current liabilities	1,575,860	1,269,981
Long-term debt	500,000	500,000
Noncurrent income taxes payable	24,279	21,584
Deferred tax liabilities	66,961	70,618
Other long term liabilities	223	911
Total liabilities	2,167,323	1,863,094
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; 178,621 and 179,030 shares issued, 146,458 and 150,197 outstanding	14,646	15,020
Additional paid-in capital	321,968	217,894
Retained earnings	2,648,539	2,413,833
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-28,610	-10,620
Treasury stock at cost (32,163 and 28,833 shares)	-1,909,528	-1,696,403
Total stockholders’ investment	1,047,015	939,724
Total liabilities and stockholders’ investment	$3,214,338	$2,802,818

CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE_SHEETS_Pa

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Receivables, allowance for doubtful accounts	$41,051	$39,292
Other intangible assets, accumulated amortization	$36,917	$33,325
Preferred stock, par value	$0.10	$0.10
Preferred stock, shares authorized	20,000,000	20,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value	$0.10	$0.10
Common stock, shares authorized	480,000,000	480,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	178,621,000	179,030,000
Common stock, shares outstanding	146,458,000	150,197,000
Treasury stock, shares	32,163,000	28,833,000

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_OPE

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenues:
Transportation	$11,921,974	$11,069,710	$9,685,415
Sourcing	1,533,555	1,669,134	1,620,183
Payment Services	14,538	13,232	53,515
Total revenues	13,470,067	12,752,076	11,359,113
Costs and expenses:
Purchased transportation and related services	10,042,250	9,371,315	8,157,278
Purchased products sourced for resale	1,418,009	1,542,184	1,483,745
Purchased payment services	2,156	2,482	519
Personnel expenses	939,021	826,661	766,006
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	320,213	326,784	276,245
Total costs and expenses	12,721,649	12,069,426	10,683,793
Income from operations	748,418	682,650	675,320
Interest and other (expense) income	-24,987	-9,289	283,142
Income before provision for income taxes	723,431	673,361	958,462
Provision for income taxes	273,720	257,457	364,658
Net income	449,711	415,904	593,804
Other comprehensive loss	-17,990	-1,275	-230
Comprehensive income	$431,721	$414,629	$593,574
Basic net income per share (in dollars per share)	$3.06	$2.65	$3.68
Diluted net income per share (in dollars per share)	$3.05	$2.65	$3.67
Basic weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	147,202	156,915	161,557
Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards (in shares)	340	165	389
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	147,542	157,080	161,946

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_STO

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' INVESTMENT (USD $)	3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		$939,724		$1,504,372	$939,724	$1,504,372	$1,248,474
Net income	112,947	93,187	92,952	103,343	449,711	415,904	593,804
Foreign currency translation adjustment					-17,990	-1,275	-230
Comprehensive income					431,721	414,629	593,574
Dividends declared, $1.43 in 2014, $1.40 in 2013 and $1.34 in 2012 per share					-215,005	-220,300	-220,607
Stock issued for acquisition							60,152
Stock issued for employee benefit plans					-667	-34,978	8,086
Issuance of restricted stock						0	0
Stock-based compensation expense					47,721	9,096	59,463
Excess tax benefit on deferred compensation and employee stock plans					7,558	27,209	12,294
Repurchase of common stock					-164,037	-760,304	-257,064
Ending Balance	1,047,015		939,724		1,047,015	939,724	1,504,372
Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance (in shares)		150,197,000		161,327,000	150,197,000	161,327,000	163,441,000
Beginning Balance		15,020		16,133	15,020	16,133	16,344
Stock issued for acquisition (in shares)							1,108,000
Stock issued for acquisition							111
Stock issued for employee benefit plans (in shares)					405,000	263,000	712,000
Stock issued for employee benefit plans					40	26	71
Issuance of restricted stock (in shares)					410,000	335,000	276,000
Issuance of restricted stock					-41	34	28
Stock-based compensation expense (in shares)					30,000	30,000	28,000
Stock-based compensation expense					3	3	3
Repurchase of common stock (in shares)					-3,764,000	-11,758,000	-4,238,000
Repurchase of common stock					-376	-1,176	-424
Ending Balance	14,646		15,020		14,646	15,020	16,133
Ending Balance (in shares)	146,458,000		150,197,000		146,458,000	150,197,000	161,327,000
Additional Paid-in Capital
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		217,894		303,479	217,894	303,479	205,794
Stock issued for acquisition							60,041
Stock issued for employee benefit plans					-24,644	-45,106	-32,435
Issuance of restricted stock					41	-34	-28
Stock-based compensation expense					46,119	7,346	57,813
Excess tax benefit on deferred compensation and employee stock plans					7,558	27,209	12,294
Repurchase of common stock					75,000	-75,000
Ending Balance	321,968		217,894		321,968	217,894	303,479
Retained Earnings
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		2,413,833		2,218,229	2,413,833	2,218,229	1,845,032
Net income					449,711	415,904	593,804
Dividends declared, $1.43 in 2014, $1.40 in 2013 and $1.34 in 2012 per share					-215,005	-220,300	-220,607
Ending Balance	2,648,539		2,413,833		2,648,539	2,413,833	2,218,229
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		-10,620		-9,345	-10,620	-9,345	-9,115
Foreign currency translation adjustment					-17,990	-1,275	-230
Ending Balance	-28,610		-10,620		-28,610	-10,620	-9,345
Treasury Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance		-1,696,403		-1,024,124	-1,696,403	-1,024,124	-809,581
Stock issued for employee benefit plans					23,937	10,102	40,450
Stock-based compensation expense					1,599	1,747	1,647
Repurchase of common stock					-238,661	-684,128	-256,640
Ending Balance	($1,909,528)		($1,696,403)		($1,909,528)	($1,696,403)	($1,024,124)

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_STO1

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' INVESTMENT (Parenthetical) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Dividends declared, per share	$1.43	$1.40	$1.34

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_CAS

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	$449,711	$415,904	$593,804
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	57,009	56,882	38,090
Provision for doubtful accounts	15,092	15,587	10,459
Stock-based compensation	47,861	9,094	59,381
Gain on divestiture	-1,848	0	-281,551
Deferred income taxes	-3,117	25,226	-14,442
Loss on sale/disposal of assets	710	314	3,208
Other long-term liabilities	0	5	513
Changes in operating elements, net of effects of acquisitions:
Receivables	-137,102	-87,316	-88,107
Prepaid expenses and other	6,294	-5,254	5,260
Other non-current assets	380	0	0
Accounts payable and outstanding checks	40,251	47,488	61,732
Accrued compensation and profit-sharing contribution	40,236	-15,097	-19,064
Accrued income taxes	-4,370	-105,857	104,542
Other accrued liabilities	2,319	-9,199	-13,483
Net cash provided by operating activities	513,426	347,777	460,342
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchases of property and equipment	-22,364	-40,354	-36,096
Purchases and development of software	-7,138	-7,852	-14,560
Cash received for divestiture, net of cash sold	0	0	274,802
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	0	19,126	-583,631
Restricted cash	359,388	0	0
Other	-6	221	419
Net cash used for investing activities	-388,896	-28,859	-359,066
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from stock issued for employee benefit plans	11,942	15,166	18,868
Stock tendered for payment of withholding taxes	-12,604	-50,144	-10,782
Payment of contingent purchase price	0	-927	-12,661
Repurchase of common stock	-164,041	-757,305	-245,067
Cash dividends	-215,008	-220,257	-275,353
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	7,558	27,209	12,294
Proceeds from short-term borrowings	4,823,000	4,165,023	324,051
Payments on short-term borrowings	-4,593,000	-4,043,669	-75,688
Debt issuance costs	-1,484	0	0
Proceeds from long-term borrowings	0	500,000	0
Net cash used for financing activities	-143,637	-364,904	-264,338
Effect of exchange rates on cash	-14,000	-1,986	-588
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	-33,107	-47,972	-163,650
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year	162,047	210,019	373,669
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	128,940	162,047	210,019
Stock issued for acquisition	0	0	60,152
Cash paid for income taxes	271,979	313,799	257,580
Cash paid for interest	$27,066	$3,875	$518

SUMMARY_OF_SIGNIFICANT_ACCOUNT

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
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 281 offices operating in North America, Europe, Asia, 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. We are also required to disclose contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Our ultimate results could differ 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, transportation management services, 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 as a separate component of comprehensive income in our statement of operations and comprehensive income.
	SEGMENT REPORTING AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION. We operate in the transportation and logistics industry. We provide a wide range of products and services to our customers and contract carriers, including transportation services, produce sourcing, freight consolidation, contract warehousing, and information services. Each of these is a significant component to optimizing logistics solutions for our customers.
	These services are performed throughout our offices, as an integrated offering for which our customers are typically provided a single invoice. Our offices work together to complete transactions and collectively meet the needs of our customers. For large multi-location customers, we often coordinate our efforts in one location and rely on multiple locations to deliver specific geographic or modal needs. As an example, approximately 48 percent of our truckload transactions are shared transactions between offices. In addition, our methodology of providing services is very similar across all locations. The majority of our global network operates on a common technology platform that is used to match customer needs with supplier capabilities, to collaborate with other locations, and to utilize centralized support resources to complete all facets of the transaction. Accordingly, our chief operating decision maker analyzes our business as a single segment, relying on net revenues and operating income across our network of offices as the primary performance measures.
	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,
		2014			2013			2012
	Total revenues
	United States	$	11,800,140		$	11,140,163		$	10,183,596
	Other locations	1,669,927			1,611,913			1,175,517
	Total revenues	$	13,470,067		$	12,752,076		$	11,359,113
		December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Long-lived assets
	United States	$	257,587		$	284,693		$	281,729
	Other locations	26,254			24,567			27,991
	Total long-lived assets	$	283,841		$	309,260		$	309,720
	CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS. Cash and cash equivalents consist of bank deposits.
	RESTRICTED CASH. On December 31, 2014, we funded $359.4 million of the purchase price for the acquisition of Freightquote, into an escrow account pursuant to the purchase agreement, pending the effective date of closing of the acquisition in January 2015. Funds were released on January 2, 2015.
	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 of 3 to 30 years. 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):
	2014	$	29,340
	2013	27,757
	2012	24,254
	A summary of our property and equipment as of December 31 is as follows (in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Furniture, fixtures, and equipment	$	180,233		$	168,354
	Buildings	79,981			64,639
	Corporate aircraft	11,334			11,334
	Leasehold improvements	25,545			24,489
	Land	14,983			15,008
	Construction in progress	1,612			16,971
	Less accumulated depreciation	(161,217		)	(140,092		)
	Net property and equipment	$	152,471		$	160,703
	GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS. Goodwill is the difference between the purchase price of a company and the fair market value of the acquired company’s net identifiable assets. Other intangible assets include customer lists, contract carrier lists, and non-competition agreements. These intangible assets are being amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated lives, ranging from 3 to 8 years. Goodwill is not amortized, but is tested for impairment using a fair value approach. Goodwill is tested for impairment annually or more frequently if events warrant. Intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. 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):
	2014		$	8,921
	2013		8,759
	2012		7,528
	A summary of our purchased and internally developed software as of December 31 is as follows (in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Purchased software	$	21,872		$	20,433
	Internally developed software	27,429			24,358
	Less accumulated amortization	(35,369		)	(29,802		)
	Net software	$	13,932		$	14,989
	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.
	Provisions are made for U.S. taxes on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries and related companies.
	COMPREHENSIVE INCOME. Comprehensive income includes any changes in the equity of an enterprise from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. Our only component of other comprehensive income is foreign currency translation adjustment. It is presented on our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.
	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 fair value of each share-based payment award is established on the date of grant. For grants of performance 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 17 percent to 22 percent and are calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. 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_

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]
GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS	GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS
	The change in the carrying amount of goodwill is as follows (in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Balance, beginning of year	$	829,073		$	822,215
	Acquisitions	—			5,331
	Translation	(4,035		)	1,527
	Balance, end of year	$	825,038		$	829,073
	We complete an impairment test on goodwill annually. This impairment test did not result in any impairment losses. There is no aggregate goodwill impairment for any of the periods presented.
	A summary of our other intangible assets, with finite lives, which include primarily customer relationships and non-competition agreements, as of December 31 is as follows (in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Gross	$	133,372		$	148,917
	Accumulated amortization	(36,917		)	(33,325		)
	Net	$	96,455		$	115,592
	Other intangible assets, with indefinite lives, as of December 31, is as follows (in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Trademarks	$	1,875		$	1,875
	Amortization expense for other intangible assets was (in thousands):
	2014	$	18,748
	2013	20,128
	2012	6,308
	Intangible assets at December 31, 2014, will be amortized over the next seven years, and that expense is as follows (in thousands):
	2015	$	16,939
	2016	16,922
	2017	16,623
	2018	16,225
	2019	16,225
	Thereafter	13,521
	Total	$	96,455

FAIR_VALUE_MEASUREMENT

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [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.
	The following table presents information as of December 31, 2012, about our financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis, according to the valuation techniques we used to determine their fair values (in thousands).
		Level 1		Level 2			Level 3			Total Fair
										Value
	Contingent purchase price related to acquisitions	$	—	$	—		$	922		$	922
	Total liabilities at fair value	$	—	$	—		$	922		$	922
	In measuring the fair value of the contingent payment liability, we used an income approach that considers the expected future earnings of the acquired businesses and the resulting contingent payments, discounted at a risk-adjusted rate.
	The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our beginning and ending Level 3 financial liability balance (in thousands). We had no Level 3 liabilities as of December 31, 2014.
		2014		2013			2012
	Balance, beginning of period	$	—	$	922		$	13,070
	Payments of contingent purchase price	—		(927		)	(12,661		)
	Total unrealized losses included in earnings	—		5			513
	Balance, end of period	$	—	$	—		$	922

FINANCING_ARRANGEMENTS

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS	FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS
	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. The purpose of this facility was to partially fund the acquisition of Phoenix and to allow us to continue to fund working capital, capital expenditures, dividends, and share repurchases. 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.
	As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, we had $605.0 million and $375.0 million in borrowings outstanding under the Credit Agreement, which is classified as a current liability on the consolidated balance sheets. 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, 2014, the variable rate equaled LIBOR plus 1.50 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 2014 was approximately 1.7 percent and at December 31, 2014, was approximately 1.3 percent. The weighted average interest rate incurred on borrowings during 2013 was approximately 1.2 percent and at December 31, 2013, was approximately 1.7 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. We were in compliance with the financial debt covenants as of December 31, 2014. 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.
	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.
	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) $175,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the company’s 3.97 percent Senior Notes, Series A, due August 27, 2023 (the “Series A Notes”), (ii) $150,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the company’s 4.26 percent Senior Notes, Series B, due August 27, 2028 (the “Series B Notes”), and (iii) $175,000,000 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. See Note 9.
	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. We were in compliance with all of the financial debt covenants as of December 31, 2014. The Note Purchase Agreement was amended in February 2015 to conform its financial covenants to be consistent with the amended revolving credit facility. 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.
	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% 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 or 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 approximated carrying value of $516.3 million at December 31, 2014, and $500.0 million at December 31, 2013, based on observable market-based inputs. If our long-term debt was recorded at fair value, it would be classified as Level 2.

INCOME_TAXES

INCOME TAXES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [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. 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 2008.
	A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest and penalties, is as follows (in thousands):
		2014				2013				2012
	Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of period	$	16,897			$	16,788			$	7,668
	Additions based on tax positions related to the current year	2,002				1,572				4,172
	Additions for tax positions of prior years	839				1,105				6,911
	Reductions for tax positions of prior years	(183		)		(1,464		)		(1,061		)
	Lapse in statute of limitations	(1,281		)		(238		)		(286		)
	Settlements	—				(866		)		(616		)
	Unrecognized tax benefits, end of the period	$	18,274			$	16,897			$	16,788
	As of December 31, 2014, we had $24.0 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, 2014, 2013, and 2012, we recognized approximately $1.5 million, $1.2 million, and $0.8 million in interest and penalties. We had approximately $5.7 million and $4.6 million for the payment of interest and penalties accrued within noncurrent taxes payable as of December 31, 2014 and 2013. 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):
		2014				2013				2012
	Tax provision:
	Federal	$	224,468			$	180,351			$	326,708
	State	32,110				26,351				38,931
	Foreign	20,259				25,529				13,461
		276,837				232,231				379,100
	Deferred provision (benefit):
	Federal	(5,302		)		24,877				(11,674		)
	State	(755		)		3,623				(1,334		)
	Foreign	2,940				(3,274		)		(1,434		)
		(3,117		)		25,226				(14,442		)
	Total provision	$	273,720			$	257,457			$	364,658
	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:
		2014			2013			2012
	Federal statutory rate	35	%		35	%		35	%
	State income taxes, net of federal benefit	2.8			2.9			2.7
	Other	—			0.3			0.3
		37.8	%		38.2	%		38	%
	Deferred tax assets (liabilities) are comprised of the following at December 31 (in thousands):
		2014				2013
	Deferred tax assets:
	Compensation	$	78,516			$	71,751
	Receivables	13,397				11,780
	Other	8,103				8,541
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Intangible assets	(115,761		)		(113,518		)
	Prepaid assets	(10,808		)		(9,948		)
	Long-lived assets	(19,018		)		(20,310		)
	Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries	(13,616		)		(10,600		)
	Other	(28		)		(28		)
	Net deferred tax (liabilities) assets	$	(59,215	)		$	(62,332	)
	We had foreign net operating loss carryforwards with a tax effect of $8.3 million as of December 31, 2014 and $7.8 million as of December 31, 2013. 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_

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Disclosure Capital Stock And Stock Award Plans Additional Information [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):
			2014				2013				2012
	Stock options		$	9,243			$	5			$	3,585
	Stock awards		36,510				6,808				53,481
	Company expense on ESPP discount		2,108				2,281				2,315
	Total stock-based compensation expense		$	47,861			$	9,094			$	59,381
	On May 9, 2013, our shareholders approved our 2013 Equity Incentive Plan, which allows us to grant certain stock awards, including stock options at fair market value and performance shares and restricted stock units, to our key employees and outside directors. A maximum of 3,400,000 shares, plus the shares remaining available for future grants under the 1997 Plan as of May 9, 2013, can be granted under this plan. Approximately 3,048,819 shares were available for stock awards as of December 31, 2014. 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 made after 2003.
	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, 2014, unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options was $51.0 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 plan. All outstanding unvested options as of December 31, 2014, relate to the performance-based grants from 2011 through 2014.
		Options			Weighted				Aggregate				Average
					Average				Intrinsic				Remaining
					Exercise				Value				Life
					Price				(in thousands)				(years)
	Outstanding at December 31, 2013	3,497,544			$	62.21
	Grants	1,215,018			74.55
	Exercised	(787	)		68.81
	Terminated	(7,155	)		58.25
	Outstanding at December 31, 2014	4,704,620			$	65.4			$	44,644			8.6
	Vested at December 31, 2014	926,218			$	63.28			$	10,751			7.9
	Exercisable at December 31, 2014	926,218			$	63.28			$	10,751			7.9
	Additional potential dilutive stock options totaling 218,932 for 2013 and 127,323 for 2012 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):
	2014	$	4
	2013	7,640
	2012	15,516
	The following table summarizes performance-based options by year of grant:
	Year of grant		First vesting date		Last vesting date		Options			Weighted				Unvested options
							granted, net of			average grant
							forfeitures			date fair value
	2011		December 31, 2012		December 31, 2016		911,430			$	15.72			537,744
	2012		December 31, 2013		December 31, 2017		1,155,285			13.15				957,394
	2013		December 31, 2014		December 31, 2018		1,424,531			11.83				1,070,145
	2014		December 31, 2015		December 31, 2019		1,213,374			14.23				1,213,374
							4,704,620			$	13.53			3,778,657
	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:
		2014 Grants				2013 Grants				2012 Grants
	Risk-free interest rate	1.93-1.96%				.18-1.94%				.18-.89%
	Dividend per share (quarterly amounts)	$0.35-0.38				$0.35				$0.33-0.35
	Expected volatility factor	22.0-25.0%				25.0-27.5%				26.0-27.5%
	Expected option term	6.3 years				.01-6.3 years				.01-6 years
	Weighted average fair value per option	$	14.23			$	11.73			$	13.61
	FULL VALUE AWARDS. We have awarded performance 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 17 percent to 22 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 shares and restricted stock unit grants as of December 31, 2014:
		Number of Performance			Weighted Average
		Shares and Restricted Stock Units			Grant Date Fair Value
	Unvested at December 31, 2013	2,028,669			$	51.55
	Granted	321,995			60.7
	Vested	(516,165	)		51.26
	Forfeitures	(298,345	)		45.88
	Unvested at December 31, 2014	1,536,154			$	54.67
	The following table summarizes performance shares and restricted stock units by year of grant:
	Year of grant		First vesting date		Last vesting date		Performance shares and stock units			Weighted				Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units
							granted, net of			average grant
							forfeitures			date fair value (1)
2010		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2015		686,919			63.28				288,506
2011		December 31, 2012		December 31, 2016		596,676			53.72				352,037
2012		December 31, 2013		December 31, 2017		333,881			48.65				277,121
2013		December 31, 2014		December 31, 2018		396,735			46.45				297,552
2014		December 31, 2015		December 31, 2019		320,738			60.74				320,938
						2,334,949			$	55.54			1,536,154
________________________
-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 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, 2014:
	Number of Restricted			Weighted Average
	Shares and Stock Units			Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested at December 31, 2013	851,485			$	45.68
Granted	355,878			61.96
Vested	(187,049	)		43.15
Forfeitures	(66,190	)		47.6
Unvested at December 31, 2014	954,124			$	52.12
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):
2014	$	36,510
2013	6,808
2012	53,562
As of December 31, 2014, there was unrecognized compensation expense of $134.2 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 certain other conditions.
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			Aggregate cost				Expense recognized
		by employees			to employees				by the company
2014		231,564			$	11,943			$	2,108
2013		259,730			12,928				2,281
2012		248,405			13,116				2,315
SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAMS. During 2009 and 2012, our Board of Directors authorized stock repurchase programs that allow management to repurchase 10,000,000 shares under each authorization. The activity under those programs for each of the periods reported is as follows (dollar amounts in thousands):
		Shares repurchased			Total value of shares
					repurchased
2009 Program
2010 Purchases		1,394,831			$	90,500
2011 Purchases		3,540,171			246,935
2012 Purchases		4,237,555			257,064
2013 Purchases		827,443			48,048
		Shares repurchased			Total value of shares
					repurchased
2012 Program
2013 Purchases		10,000,000			$	579,853
As of December 31, 2014, there were no shares remaining for repurchase under the 2009 or 2012 authorization. During 2013, our Board of Directors increased the number of shares authorized to be repurchased by 15,000,000 shares. The activity under this authorization is as follows (dollar amounts in thousands):
		Shares repurchased			Total value of shares
					repurchased
2013 Program
2013 Purchases		930,075			$	57,689
2014 Purchases		3,763,583			239,037
As of December 31, 2014, there were 10,306,342 shares remaining for repurchase under the 2013 authorization.

COMMITMENTS_AND_CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [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. Annual profit-sharing contributions are determined by us, in accordance with the provisions of the plan. We can also elect to make matching contributions to the plan. Defined contribution plan expense, including matching contributions, was approximately (in thousands):
	2014	$	30,112
	2013	19,907
	2012	24,769
	We have committed to a defined contribution match of four percent of eligible compensation in 2015.
	NONQUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN. The Robinson Companies Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan provided certain employees the opportunity to defer a specified percentage or dollar amount of their cash and stock compensation. Participants could elect to defer up to 100 percent of their cash compensation. The accumulated benefit obligation was $0.2 million as of December 31, 2014, and $0.9 million as of December 31, 2013. We have purchased investments to fund the future liability. The investments had an aggregate market value of $0.2 million as of December 31, 2014, and $0.9 million as of December 31, 2013, and are included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets. In addition, all restricted shares vested but not yet delivered, as well as a deferred share award granted to our CEO and vesting ratably over 15 years, 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):
	2014	$	56,871
	2013	54,753
	2012	41,689
	Minimum future lease commitments under noncancelable lease agreements in excess of one year as of December 31, 2014, are as follows (in thousands):
	2015	$	43,903
	2016	35,419
	2017	28,295
	2018	18,794
	2019	13,559
	Thereafter	9,807
	Total	$	149,777
	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 20 contingent auto liability cases as of December 31, 2014. For such 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_AND_DIVESTITURES

ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]
ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES	ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES
	On November 1, 2012, we acquired all of the outstanding stock of Phoenix International Freight Services, Ltd. (“Phoenix”) for the purpose of expanding our current market presence and service offerings in international freight forwarding. Total purchase consideration was $677.3 million, net of post-closing cash and working capital adjustments, in accordance with the purchase agreement. The acquisition price was financed with $60.2 million in newly-issued common stock (representing 1.1 million shares), borrowings under the revolving credit facility of approximately $173.0 million discussed in Note 4, and the remainder with cash on hand. The following is a summary of the allocation of purchase consideration to the estimated fair value of net assets for the acquisition of Phoenix (in thousands):
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	75,372
	Receivables	125,595
	Other current assets	7,209
	Property and equipment	12,160
	Identifiable intangible assets	130,000
	Goodwill	453,208
	Other noncurrent assets	13,542
	Total assets	$	817,086
	Accounts payable	$	(45,367	)
	Accrued expenses	(14,340		)
	Other liabilities	(80,106		)
	Estimated net assets acquired	$	677,273
	Identifiable intangible assets and estimated useful lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):
		Estimated Life (years)
	Customer relationships	8		$	129,800
	Noncompete agreements	5		200
	Total identifiable intangible assets			$	130,000
	The Phoenix goodwill is a result of acquiring and retaining the Phoenix existing workforce and expected synergies from integrating their business into C.H. Robinson. The goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes.
	The measurement period adjustments during the year ended December 31, 2013, to the previously recorded opening balances related primarily to changes in the allocation of purchase consideration to certain accounts, based on resolution of certain working capital adjustments with the selling shareholders. The adjustments during 2013 resulted in a $1.5 million increase in receivables, a $5.3 million increase in goodwill, a $1.7 million decrease in current deferred taxes, a $2.1 million decrease in non-current deferred assets, a $3.0 million decrease in taxes payable, and a $10.6 million increase in other assets. The other asset recorded is an indemnification asset that approximates the estimated contingencies related to uncertain tax positions. Any subsequent changes in the indemnification asset will be recorded in interest and other (expense) income in our consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income. The offset to these adjustments was a reduction in the estimated receivable amount from the selling shareholders. The measurement period adjustments were recorded prospectively, as they are not considered material to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2013.
	On October 16, 2012, we sold substantially all of the operations of our subsidiary, T-Chek Systems, Inc. ("T-Chek"), which represented a majority of our Payment Services business, to Electronic Funds Source, LLC ("EFS") for $302.5 million in cash. EFS acquired the assets and assumed certain liabilities of T-Chek. We recorded a gain on the sale of the assets and liabilities of approximately $281.6 million during the fourth quarter of 2012.
	On an unaudited pro forma basis, assuming the T-Chek divestiture and the Phoenix acquisition had closed on January 1, 2012, the results of C.H. Robinson excluding T-Chek and including Phoenix would have resulted in the following (in thousands):
		31-Dec-12
		C.H. Robinson As Reported				T-Chek Operations			Phoenix Operations		Combined Pro Forma
	Total revenues	$	11,359,113			$	(41,623	)	$	692,836	$	12,010,326
	Income from operations	675,320				(20,578		)	24,131		678,873
	Net income	593,804				(12,804		)	11,976		592,976
	Phoenix pro forma financial information includes the following adjustments for the twelve months ended December 31 (in thousands):
		2012
	Eliminate personnel costs from purchased transportation and related services	$	(24,422	)
	Eliminate personnel costs from selling, general, and administrative services	(50,065		)
	Reclassify costs to personnel expenses	74,487
	Contractual changes in compensation	(5,080		)
	Additional amortization expense on identifiable intangible assets	13,555
	Rent expense for new lease agreements	280
	Depreciation on acquired building	123
	Incremental interest expense	(2,127		)
	Additional bonus paid by sellers	(1,400		)
	Third party advisory fees paid by sellers	(582		)
	Elimination of variable interest entities not acquired	215
	Tax effect	(1,487		)
	The pro forma consolidated financial information was prepared for comparative purposes only and includes certain adjustments, as noted above. The adjustments are estimates based on currently available information and actual amounts may have differed materially from these estimates. They do not reflect the effect of costs or synergies that would have been expected to result from the integration of the acquisition. The pro forma information does not purport to be indicative of the results of operations that actually would have resulted had the acquisition occurred at the beginning of each period presented or of future results of the consolidated entity.
	On October 1, 2012, we acquired all of the outstanding stock of the operating subsidiaries of Apreo Logistics S.A. ("Apreo"), a leading freight forwarder based in Warsaw, Poland, for the purpose of expanding our current market presence and service offerings in Europe. The total purchase price of Apreo was approximately $26.5 million, which was paid in cash. We recorded $17.4 million of goodwill and other intangible assets related to this acquisition. The goodwill will not be deductible for tax purposes. The results of our operations for 2012 were not materially impacted by this acquisition.
	The results of operations and financial condition of these acquisitions have been included in our consolidated financial statements since their acquisition dates.

ACCELERATED_SHARE_REPURCHASE

ACCELERATED SHARE REPURCHASE	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
CAPITAL STOCK [Abstract]
ACCELERATED SHARE REPURCHASE	ACCELERATED SHARE REPURCHASE
	On August 24, 2013, we entered into two letter agreements with unrelated third party financial institutions to repurchase an aggregate of $500.0 million of our outstanding common stock (the "ASR agreements"). The total aggregate number of shares repurchased pursuant to these agreements was determined based on the volume-weighted average price of our common stock during the purchase period, less a fixed discount of 0.94%. Under the ASR agreements, we paid $500.0 million to the financial institutions and received 6.1 million shares of common stock with a fair value of $350.0 million during the third quarter of 2013, which represented approximately 70 percent of the total shares expected to be repurchased under the agreements. One of the two financial institutions terminated their ASR agreement and delivered 1.2 million shares on December 13, 2013. We recorded this transaction as an increase in treasury stock of $425.0 million, and recorded the remaining $75.0 million as a decrease to additional paid in capital on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013. In accordance with the terms of the other ASR agreement, we had the option to settle our delivery obligation, if any, in cash or shares and we may be required to settle in cash in very limited circumstances. We accounted for the variable component of shares to be delivered under the ASR agreements as a forward contract indexed to our common stock, which met all of the applicable criteria for equity classification, and therefore, was not accounted for as a derivative instrument, but instead was also accounted for as a component of equity. The remaining ASR agreement continued to meet those requirements for equity classification as of December 31, 2013. In February 2014, the remaining ASR agreement was terminated. Approximately 1.2 million shares were delivered as final settlement of the remaining agreement. We reclassified the $75.0 million recorded in additional paid in capital to treasury stock during the first quarter of 2014.
	The delivery of 7.3 million shares of our common stock reduced our outstanding shares used to determine our weighted average shares outstanding for purposes of calculating basic and diluted earnings per share for the 12 months ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. These shares, along with the 1.2 million shares received in February 2014, reduced our outstanding shares used to determine our weighted average shares outstanding for the purposes of calculating basic and diluted earnings per share for the 12 months ended December 31, 2014. We evaluated the ASR agreement for the potential dilutive effects of any shares remaining to be received upon settlement and determined that the additional shares would be anti-dilutive, and therefore were not included in our EPS calculation for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2013.

CHANGES_IN_ACCUMULATED_OTHER_C

CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
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 sheet. The recorded balance, at December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, was $28.6 million and $10.6 million, respectively. Accumulated other comprehensive loss is comprised solely of foreign currency translation adjustment at December 31, 2014 and 2013.

SUBSEQUENT_EVENTS

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS	SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
	On January 2, 2015, we acquired all of the outstanding stock of Freightquote.com, Inc. ("Freightquote"), a privately-held freight broker which provides services throughout North America. For the year ended December 31, 2014, Freightquote had gross revenues of approximately $623 million and net revenues of approximately $124 million. The total purchase price of Freightquote was approximately $365 million, which was paid in cash and is subject to post-closing adjustments.
	The Note Purchase Agreement was amended in February 2015 to conform its financial covenants to be consistent with the amended revolving credit facility.

RECENTLY_ISSUED_ACCOUNTING_PRO

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements [Abstract]
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS	RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued a final standard on revenue recognition from contracts with customers. The new standard sets forth a single comprehensive model for recognizing and reporting revenue. The new standard is effective for the company in 2017, and it permits the use of either a retrospective or a cumulative effect transition method. We are evaluating the effect of the new standard on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, and have not yet selected a transition method or determined the impact of this standard on our consolidated financial statements.

SUPPLEMENTARY_DATA_UNAUDITED

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]
SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED)	SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED)
	Our unaudited results of operations for each of the quarters in the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 are summarized below (in thousands, except per share data).
	2014	March 31		June 30		September 30		December 31
	Revenues:
	Transportation	$	2,803,704	$	3,038,923	$	3,069,056	$	3,010,291
	Sourcing	335,808		460,816		393,980		342,951
	Payment Services	3,073		3,179		4,326		3,960
	Total revenues	3,142,585		3,502,918		3,467,362		3,357,202
	Costs and expenses:
	Purchased transportation and related services	2,375,825		2,555,371		2,575,069		2,535,985
	Purchased products sourced for resale	308,962		425,922		364,179		318,946
	Purchased payment services	563		588		550		455
	Personnel expenses	220,297		238,986		244,621		235,117
	Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	79,967		81,669		79,606		78,971
	Total costs and expenses	2,985,614		3,302,536		3,264,025		3,169,474
	Income from operations	156,971		200,382		203,337		187,728
	Net income	$	93,187	$	118,596	$	124,981	$	112,947
	Basic net income per share	$	0.63	$	0.8	$	0.85	$	0.77
	Diluted net income per share	$	0.63	$	0.8	$	0.85	$	0.77
	Basic weighted average shares outstanding	148,517		147,826		146,646		145,856
	Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards	491		148		210		794
	Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	149,008		147,974		146,856		146,650
	Market price range of common stock:
	High	$	60.31	$	64.09	$	69.5	$	77.49
	Low	$	50.21	$	51.1	$	63.09	$	63.42
	2013	March 31		June 30		September 30		December 31
	Revenues:
	Transportation	$	2,603,182	$	2,818,077	$	2,880,901	$	2,767,550
	Sourcing	387,852		466,811		432,373		382,098
	Payment Services	3,233		3,374		3,391		3,234
	Total revenues	2,994,267		3,288,262		3,316,665		3,152,882
	Costs and expenses:
	Purchased transportation and related services	2,181,930		2,386,932		2,450,923		2,351,530
	Purchased products sourced for resale	356,006		428,059		401,820		356,299
	Purchased payment services	609		669		616		588
	Personnel expenses	212,645		206,009		204,388		203,619
	Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	74,371		84,117		82,563		85,733
	Total costs and expenses	2,825,561		3,105,786		3,140,310		2,997,769
	Income from operations	168,706		182,476		176,355		155,113
	Net income	$	103,343	$	111,872	$	107,737	$	92,952
	Basic net income per share	$	0.64	$	0.7	$	0.69	$	0.62
	Diluted net income per share	$	0.64	$	0.7	$	0.69	$	0.62
	Basic weighted average shares outstanding	160,637		159,818		156,924		150,856
	Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards	53		99		120		274
	Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	160,690		159,917		157,044		151,130
	Market price range of common stock:
	High	$	67.93	$	61.91	$	62.46	$	61.94
	Low	$	55.81	$	53.74	$	55.26	$	55.92

SCHEDULE_II_VALUATION_AND_QUAL

SCHEDULE II. VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
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):
		2014			2013			2012
	Balance, beginning of year	$	39,292		$	34,560		$	31,328
	Provision	15,092			15,587			10,459
	Write-offs	(13,333		)	(10,855		)	(7,227		)
	Balance, end of year	$	41,051		$	39,292		$	34,560

SUMMARY_OF_SIGNIFICANT_ACCOUNT1

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
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 281 offices operating in North America, Europe, Asia, 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. We are also required to disclose contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Our ultimate results could differ 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, transportation management services, 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 as a separate component of comprehensive income in our statement of operations and comprehensive income.
SEGMENT REPORTING AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION	SEGMENT REPORTING AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION. We operate in the transportation and logistics industry. We provide a wide range of products and services to our customers and contract carriers, including transportation services, produce sourcing, freight consolidation, contract warehousing, and information services. Each of these is a significant component to optimizing logistics solutions for our customers.
	These services are performed throughout our offices, as an integrated offering for which our customers are typically provided a single invoice. Our offices work together to complete transactions and collectively meet the needs of our customers. For large multi-location customers, we often coordinate our efforts in one location and rely on multiple locations to deliver specific geographic or modal needs. As an example, approximately 48 percent of our truckload transactions are shared transactions between offices. In addition, our methodology of providing services is very similar across all locations. The majority of our global network operates on a common technology platform that is used to match customer needs with supplier capabilities, to collaborate with other locations, and to utilize centralized support resources to complete all facets of the transaction. Accordingly, our chief operating decision maker analyzes our business as a single segment, relying on net revenues and operating income across our network of offices as the primary performance measures.
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 of 3 to 30 years. Amortization of leasehold improvements is computed over the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements.
GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS	GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS. Goodwill is the difference between the purchase price of a company and the fair market value of the acquired company’s net identifiable assets. Other intangible assets include customer lists, contract carrier lists, and non-competition agreements. These intangible assets are being amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated lives, ranging from 3 to 8 years. Goodwill is not amortized, but is tested for impairment using a fair value approach. Goodwill is tested for impairment annually or more frequently if events warrant. Intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable.
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.
	Provisions are made for U.S. taxes on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries and related companies.
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME	COMPREHENSIVE INCOME. Comprehensive income includes any changes in the equity of an enterprise from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. Our only component of other comprehensive income is foreign currency translation adjustment. It is presented on our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.
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 fair value of each share-based payment award is established on the date of grant. For grants of performance 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 17 percent to 22 percent and are calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. 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.
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRNOUNCEMENTS	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued a final standard on revenue recognition from contracts with customers. The new standard sets forth a single comprehensive model for recognizing and reporting revenue. The new standard is effective for the company in 2017, and it permits the use of either a retrospective or a cumulative effect transition method. We are evaluating the effect of the new standard on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, and have not yet selected a transition method or determined the impact of this standard on our consolidated financial statements.

SUMMARY_OF_SIGNIFICANT_ACCOUNT2

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Schedule Of Revenues From External Customers And Long Lived Assets By Geographical Areas Table	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,
		2014			2013			2012
	Total revenues
	United States	$	11,800,140		$	11,140,163		$	10,183,596
	Other locations	1,669,927			1,611,913			1,175,517
	Total revenues	$	13,470,067		$	12,752,076		$	11,359,113
		December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Long-lived assets
	United States	$	257,587		$	284,693		$	281,729
	Other locations	26,254			24,567			27,991
	Total long-lived assets	$	283,841		$	309,260		$	309,720
Schedule of Depreciation Expense	We recognized the following depreciation expense (in thousands):
	2014	$	29,340
	2013	27,757
	2012	24,254
Property, Plant and Equipment	A summary of our property and equipment as of December 31 is as follows (in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Furniture, fixtures, and equipment	$	180,233		$	168,354
	Buildings	79,981			64,639
	Corporate aircraft	11,334			11,334
	Leasehold improvements	25,545			24,489
	Land	14,983			15,008
	Construction in progress	1,612			16,971
	Less accumulated depreciation	(161,217		)	(140,092		)
	Net property and equipment	$	152,471		$	160,703
Schedule of Amortization Expense of Software	We recognized the following amortization expense of purchased and internally developed software (in thousands):
	2014		$	8,921
	2013		8,759
	2012		7,528
Software and Software Development Costs
Schedule of Other Assets, Noncurrent	A summary of our purchased and internally developed software as of December 31 is as follows (in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Purchased software	$	21,872		$	20,433
	Internally developed software	27,429			24,358
	Less accumulated amortization	(35,369		)	(29,802		)
	Net software	$	13,932		$	14,989

GOODWILL_AND_OTHER_INTANGIBLE_1

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]
Schedule of Goodwill	The change in the carrying amount of goodwill is as follows (in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Balance, beginning of year	$	829,073		$	822,215
	Acquisitions	—			5,331
	Translation	(4,035		)	1,527
	Balance, end of year	$	825,038		$	829,073
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class	A summary of our other intangible assets, with finite lives, which include primarily customer relationships and non-competition agreements, as of December 31 is as follows (in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Gross	$	133,372		$	148,917
	Accumulated amortization	(36,917		)	(33,325		)
	Net	$	96,455		$	115,592
Schedule of Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets by Major Class	Other intangible assets, with indefinite lives, as of December 31, is as follows (in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Trademarks	$	1,875		$	1,875
Schedule of Amortization Expense	Amortization expense for other intangible assets was (in thousands):
	2014	$	18,748
	2013	20,128
	2012	6,308
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense	Intangible assets at December 31, 2014, will be amortized over the next seven years, and that expense is as follows (in thousands):
	2015	$	16,939
	2016	16,922
	2017	16,623
	2018	16,225
	2019	16,225
	Thereafter	13,521
	Total	$	96,455

FAIR_VALUE_MEASUREMENT_Tables

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]
Fair Value, by Balance Sheet Grouping	The following table presents information as of December 31, 2012, about our financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis, according to the valuation techniques we used to determine their fair values (in thousands).
		Level 1		Level 2			Level 3			Total Fair
										Value
	Contingent purchase price related to acquisitions	$	—	$	—		$	922		$	922
	Total liabilities at fair value	$	—	$	—		$	922		$	922
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation	The table below sets forth a reconciliation of our beginning and ending Level 3 financial liability balance (in thousands). We had no Level 3 liabilities as of December 31, 2014.
		2014		2013			2012
	Balance, beginning of period	$	—	$	922		$	13,070
	Payments of contingent purchase price	—		(927		)	(12,661		)
	Total unrealized losses included in earnings	—		5			513
	Balance, end of period	$	—	$	—		$	922

INCOME_TAXES_Tables

INCOME TAXES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]
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):
		2014				2013				2012
	Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of period	$	16,897			$	16,788			$	7,668
	Additions based on tax positions related to the current year	2,002				1,572				4,172
	Additions for tax positions of prior years	839				1,105				6,911
	Reductions for tax positions of prior years	(183		)		(1,464		)		(1,061		)
	Lapse in statute of limitations	(1,281		)		(238		)		(286		)
	Settlements	—				(866		)		(616		)
	Unrecognized tax benefits, end of the period	$	18,274			$	16,897			$	16,788
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):
		2014				2013				2012
	Tax provision:
	Federal	$	224,468			$	180,351			$	326,708
	State	32,110				26,351				38,931
	Foreign	20,259				25,529				13,461
		276,837				232,231				379,100
	Deferred provision (benefit):
	Federal	(5,302		)		24,877				(11,674		)
	State	(755		)		3,623				(1,334		)
	Foreign	2,940				(3,274		)		(1,434		)
		(3,117		)		25,226				(14,442		)
	Total provision	$	273,720			$	257,457			$	364,658
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:
		2014			2013			2012
	Federal statutory rate	35	%		35	%		35	%
	State income taxes, net of federal benefit	2.8			2.9			2.7
	Other	—			0.3			0.3
		37.8	%		38.2	%		38	%
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	Deferred tax assets (liabilities) are comprised of the following at December 31 (in thousands):
		2014				2013
	Deferred tax assets:
	Compensation	$	78,516			$	71,751
	Receivables	13,397				11,780
	Other	8,103				8,541
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Intangible assets	(115,761		)		(113,518		)
	Prepaid assets	(10,808		)		(9,948		)
	Long-lived assets	(19,018		)		(20,310		)
	Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries	(13,616		)		(10,600		)
	Other	(28		)		(28		)
	Net deferred tax (liabilities) assets	$	(59,215	)		$	(62,332	)

CAPITAL_STOCK_AND_STOCK_AWARD_1

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Disclosure Capital Stock And Stock Award Plans Additional Information [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):
			2014				2013				2012
	Stock options		$	9,243			$	5			$	3,585
	Stock awards		36,510				6,808				53,481
	Company expense on ESPP discount		2,108				2,281				2,315
	Total stock-based compensation expense		$	47,861			$	9,094			$	59,381
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Stock Options, Activity	The following schedule summarizes stock option activity in the plan. All outstanding unvested options as of December 31, 2014, relate to the performance-based grants from 2011 through 2014.
		Options			Weighted				Aggregate				Average
					Average				Intrinsic				Remaining
					Exercise				Value				Life
					Price				(in thousands)				(years)
	Outstanding at December 31, 2013	3,497,544			$	62.21
	Grants	1,215,018			74.55
	Exercised	(787	)		68.81
	Terminated	(7,155	)		58.25
	Outstanding at December 31, 2014	4,704,620			$	65.4			$	44,644			8.6
	Vested at December 31, 2014	926,218			$	63.28			$	10,751			7.9
	Exercisable at December 31, 2014	926,218			$	63.28			$	10,751			7.9
Schedule of Intrinsic Value of Options Exercised	Information on the intrinsic value of options exercised is as follows (in thousands):
	2014	$	4
	2013	7,640
	2012	15,516
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Activity	The following table summarizes performance shares and restricted stock units by year of grant:
	Year of grant		First vesting date		Last vesting date		Performance shares and stock units			Weighted				Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units
							granted, net of			average grant
							forfeitures			date fair value (1)
	2010		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2015		686,919			63.28				288,506
	2011		December 31, 2012		December 31, 2016		596,676			53.72				352,037
	2012		December 31, 2013		December 31, 2017		333,881			48.65				277,121
	2013		December 31, 2014		December 31, 2018		396,735			46.45				297,552
	2014		December 31, 2015		December 31, 2019		320,738			60.74				320,938
							2,334,949			$	55.54			1,536,154
	________________________
	-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 year of grant:
	Year of grant		First vesting date		Last vesting date		Options			Weighted				Unvested options
							granted, net of			average grant
							forfeitures			date fair value
	2011		December 31, 2012		December 31, 2016		911,430			$	15.72			537,744
	2012		December 31, 2013		December 31, 2017		1,155,285			13.15				957,394
	2013		December 31, 2014		December 31, 2018		1,424,531			11.83				1,070,145
	2014		December 31, 2015		December 31, 2019		1,213,374			14.23				1,213,374
							4,704,620			$	13.53			3,778,657
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:
		2014 Grants				2013 Grants				2012 Grants
	Risk-free interest rate	1.93-1.96%				.18-1.94%				.18-.89%
	Dividend per share (quarterly amounts)	$0.35-0.38				$0.35				$0.33-0.35
	Expected volatility factor	22.0-25.0%				25.0-27.5%				26.0-27.5%
	Expected option term	6.3 years				.01-6.3 years				.01-6 years
	Weighted average fair value per option	$	14.23			$	11.73			$	13.61
Schedule of Nonvested Restricted Stock Units Activity	The following table summarizes our unvested performance shares and restricted stock unit grants as of December 31, 2014:
		Number of Performance			Weighted Average
		Shares and Restricted Stock Units			Grant Date Fair Value
	Unvested at December 31, 2013	2,028,669			$	51.55
	Granted	321,995			60.7
	Vested	(516,165	)		51.26
	Forfeitures	(298,345	)		45.88
	Unvested at December 31, 2014	1,536,154			$	54.67
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, 2014:
		Number of Restricted			Weighted Average
		Shares and Stock Units			Grant Date Fair Value
	Unvested at December 31, 2013	851,485			$	45.68
	Granted	355,878			61.96
	Vested	(187,049	)		43.15
	Forfeitures	(66,190	)		47.6
	Unvested at December 31, 2014	954,124			$	52.12
Schedule Of Fair Value Stock Awards Vested	A summary of the fair value of full value awards vested (in thousands):
	2014	$	36,510
	2013	6,808
	2012	53,562
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			Aggregate cost				Expense recognized
			by employees			to employees				by the company
	2014		231,564			$	11,943			$	2,108
	2013		259,730			12,928				2,281
	2012		248,405			13,116				2,315
Share Repurchase Program Disclosure	The activity under this authorization is as follows (dollar amounts in thousands):
			Shares repurchased			Total value of shares
						repurchased
	2013 Program
	2013 Purchases		930,075			$	57,689
	2014 Purchases		3,763,583			239,037
	The activity under those programs for each of the periods reported is as follows (dollar amounts in thousands):
			Shares repurchased			Total value of shares
						repurchased
	2009 Program
	2010 Purchases		1,394,831			$	90,500
	2011 Purchases		3,540,171			246,935
	2012 Purchases		4,237,555			257,064
	2013 Purchases		827,443			48,048
			Shares repurchased			Total value of shares
						repurchased
	2012 Program
	2013 Purchases		10,000,000			$	579,853

COMMITMENTS_AND_CONTINGENCIES_

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]
Schedule of Costs of Retirement Plans	Defined contribution plan expense, including matching contributions, was approximately (in thousands):
	2014	$	30,112
	2013	19,907
	2012	24,769
Schedule of Lease Expenses	Information regarding our lease expense is as follows (in thousands):
	2014	$	56,871
	2013	54,753
	2012	41,689
Operating Leases of Lessee Disclosure	Minimum future lease commitments under noncancelable lease agreements in excess of one year as of December 31, 2014, are as follows (in thousands):
	2015	$	43,903
	2016	35,419
	2017	28,295
	2018	18,794
	2019	13,559
	Thereafter	9,807
	Total	$	149,777

ACQUISITIONS_AND_DIVESTITURES_

ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The following is a summary of the allocation of purchase consideration to the estimated fair value of net assets for the acquisition of Phoenix (in thousands):
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	75,372
	Receivables	125,595
	Other current assets	7,209
	Property and equipment	12,160
	Identifiable intangible assets	130,000
	Goodwill	453,208
	Other noncurrent assets	13,542
	Total assets	$	817,086
	Accounts payable	$	(45,367	)
	Accrued expenses	(14,340		)
	Other liabilities	(80,106		)
	Estimated net assets acquired	$	677,273
	Identifiable intangible assets and estimated useful lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):
		Estimated Life (years)
	Customer relationships	8		$	129,800
	Noncompete agreements	5		200
	Total identifiable intangible assets			$	130,000
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information	On an unaudited pro forma basis, assuming the T-Chek divestiture and the Phoenix acquisition had closed on January 1, 2012, the results of C.H. Robinson excluding T-Chek and including Phoenix would have resulted in the following (in thousands):
		31-Dec-12
		C.H. Robinson As Reported				T-Chek Operations			Phoenix Operations		Combined Pro Forma
	Total revenues	$	11,359,113			$	(41,623	)	$	692,836	$	12,010,326
	Income from operations	675,320				(20,578		)	24,131		678,873
	Net income	593,804				(12,804		)	11,976		592,976
	Phoenix pro forma financial information includes the following adjustments for the twelve months ended December 31 (in thousands):
		2012
	Eliminate personnel costs from purchased transportation and related services	$	(24,422	)
	Eliminate personnel costs from selling, general, and administrative services	(50,065		)
	Reclassify costs to personnel expenses	74,487
	Contractual changes in compensation	(5,080		)
	Additional amortization expense on identifiable intangible assets	13,555
	Rent expense for new lease agreements	280
	Depreciation on acquired building	123
	Incremental interest expense	(2,127		)
	Additional bonus paid by sellers	(1,400		)
	Third party advisory fees paid by sellers	(582		)
	Elimination of variable interest entities not acquired	215
	Tax effect	(1,487		)

SUPPLEMENTARY_DATA_Tables

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]
Schedule of Quarterly Financial Information	Our unaudited results of operations for each of the quarters in the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 are summarized below (in thousands, except per share data).
	2014	March 31		June 30		September 30		December 31
	Revenues:
	Transportation	$	2,803,704	$	3,038,923	$	3,069,056	$	3,010,291
	Sourcing	335,808		460,816		393,980		342,951
	Payment Services	3,073		3,179		4,326		3,960
	Total revenues	3,142,585		3,502,918		3,467,362		3,357,202
	Costs and expenses:
	Purchased transportation and related services	2,375,825		2,555,371		2,575,069		2,535,985
	Purchased products sourced for resale	308,962		425,922		364,179		318,946
	Purchased payment services	563		588		550		455
	Personnel expenses	220,297		238,986		244,621		235,117
	Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	79,967		81,669		79,606		78,971
	Total costs and expenses	2,985,614		3,302,536		3,264,025		3,169,474
	Income from operations	156,971		200,382		203,337		187,728
	Net income	$	93,187	$	118,596	$	124,981	$	112,947
	Basic net income per share	$	0.63	$	0.8	$	0.85	$	0.77
	Diluted net income per share	$	0.63	$	0.8	$	0.85	$	0.77
	Basic weighted average shares outstanding	148,517		147,826		146,646		145,856
	Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards	491		148		210		794
	Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	149,008		147,974		146,856		146,650
	Market price range of common stock:
	High	$	60.31	$	64.09	$	69.5	$	77.49
	Low	$	50.21	$	51.1	$	63.09	$	63.42
	2013	March 31		June 30		September 30		December 31
	Revenues:
	Transportation	$	2,603,182	$	2,818,077	$	2,880,901	$	2,767,550
	Sourcing	387,852		466,811		432,373		382,098
	Payment Services	3,233		3,374		3,391		3,234
	Total revenues	2,994,267		3,288,262		3,316,665		3,152,882
	Costs and expenses:
	Purchased transportation and related services	2,181,930		2,386,932		2,450,923		2,351,530
	Purchased products sourced for resale	356,006		428,059		401,820		356,299
	Purchased payment services	609		669		616		588
	Personnel expenses	212,645		206,009		204,388		203,619
	Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	74,371		84,117		82,563		85,733
	Total costs and expenses	2,825,561		3,105,786		3,140,310		2,997,769
	Income from operations	168,706		182,476		176,355		155,113
	Net income	$	103,343	$	111,872	$	107,737	$	92,952
	Basic net income per share	$	0.64	$	0.7	$	0.69	$	0.62
	Diluted net income per share	$	0.64	$	0.7	$	0.69	$	0.62
	Basic weighted average shares outstanding	160,637		159,818		156,924		150,856
	Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards	53		99		120		274
	Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	160,690		159,917		157,044		151,130
	Market price range of common stock:
	High	$	67.93	$	61.91	$	62.46	$	61.94
	Low	$	55.81	$	53.74	$	55.26	$	55.92

SUMMARY_OF_SIGNIFICANT_ACCOUNT3

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014
		Location
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Network of branch offices		281			281
Restricted cash		$359,388	$0	$0
Shared transactions between branches	Our offices work together to complete transactions and collectively meet the needs of our customers. For large multi-location customers, we often coordinate our efforts in one location and rely on multiple locations to deliver specific geographic or modal needs. As an example, approximately 48 percent of our truckload transactions are shared transactions between offices.
Property and equipment, depreciation method	Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated lives of the assets of 3 to 30 years.
Intangible assets, amortization method	These intangible assets are being amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated lives, ranging from 3 to 8 years.
Software
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Intangible assets, estimated lives (in years)		3 years
Intangible assets, amortization method	We amortize software using the straight-line method over 3 years.
Minimum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, estimated lives (in years)		3 years
Intangible assets, estimated lives (in years)		3 years
Restricted shares and restricted units grants, discount for post-vesting holding restrictions		17.00%
Maximum
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, estimated lives (in years)		30 years
Intangible assets, estimated lives (in years)		8 years
Restricted shares and restricted units grants, discount for post-vesting holding restrictions		22.00%
Truckload Transactions
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of truckload transactions that are shared transactions between branches		48.00%
Freightquote
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Restricted cash					$359,400

SUMMARY_OF_SIGNIFICANT_ACCOUNT4

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Total Revenues Based on Location of the Customer and Long-Lived Assets by Geographic Regions (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Total revenues	$3,357,202	$3,467,362	$3,502,918	$3,142,585	$3,152,882	$3,316,665	$3,288,262	$2,994,267	$13,470,067	$12,752,076	$11,359,113
Total long-lived assets	283,841				309,260				283,841	309,260	309,720
United States
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Total revenues									11,800,140	11,140,163	10,183,596
Total long-lived assets	257,587				284,693				257,587	284,693	281,729
Other Locations
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Total revenues									1,669,927	1,611,913	1,175,517
Total long-lived assets	$26,254				$24,567				$26,254	$24,567	$27,991

SUMMARY_OF_SIGNIFICANT_ACCOUNT5

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Depreciation Expense (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Depreciation expense	$29,340	$27,757	$24,254

SUMMARY_OF_SIGNIFICANT_ACCOUNT6

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Summary of Property and Equipment (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment	$180,233	$168,354
Buildings	79,981	64,639
Corporate aircraft	11,334	11,334
Leasehold improvements	25,545	24,489
Land	14,983	15,008
Construction in progress	1,612	16,971
Less accumulated depreciation	-161,217	-140,092
Net property and equipment	$152,471	$160,703

SUMMARY_OF_SIGNIFICANT_ACCOUNT7

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Amortization Expense of Purchased and Internally Developed Software (Detail) (Software, USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Software
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization expense	$8,921	$8,759	$7,528

SUMMARY_OF_SIGNIFICANT_ACCOUNT8

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Summary of Purchased and Internally Developed Software (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Less accumulated amortization	($36,917)	($33,325)
Net software	96,455
Software
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Less accumulated amortization	-35,369	-29,802
Net software	13,932	14,989
Software | Purchased software
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Software	21,872	20,433
Software | Internally developed software
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Software	$27,429	$24,358

GOODWILL_AND_OTHER_INTANGIBLE_2

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS Change in the Carrying Amount of Goodwill (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	$829,073	$822,215
Acquisitions	0	5,331
Translation	-4,035	1,527
Balance, end of year	$825,038	$829,073

GOODWILL_AND_OTHER_INTANGIBLE_3

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS Summary of Other Intangible Assets, with Finite Lives (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Accumulated amortization	($36,917)	($33,325)
Net	96,455
Other Intangible Assets
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	133,372	148,917
Accumulated amortization	-36,917	-33,325
Net	$96,455	$115,592

GOODWILL_AND_OTHER_INTANGIBLE_4

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS Other Intangible Assets, with Indefinite Lives (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Disclosure Other Intangible Assets With Indefinite Lives [Abstract]
Trademarks	$1,875	$1,875

GOODWILL_AND_OTHER_INTANGIBLE_5

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS Amortization Expense of Other Intangible Assets (Detail) (Other Intangible Assets, USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Other Intangible Assets
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization expense	$18,748	$20,128	$6,308

GOODWILL_AND_OTHER_INTANGIBLE_6

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS Estimated Amortization Expense on Intangible Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Estimated amortization expense
2015	$16,939
2016	16,922
2017	16,623
2018	16,225
2019	16,225
Thereafter	13,521
Net	$96,455

FAIR_VALUE_MEASUREMENT_Financi

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT Financial Assets and Liabilities at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis (Detail) (Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring, USD $)	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Contingent purchase price related to acquisitions	$922
Total liabilities at fair value	922
Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Contingent purchase price related to acquisitions	0
Total liabilities at fair value	0
Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Contingent purchase price related to acquisitions	0
Total liabilities at fair value	0
Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Contingent purchase price related to acquisitions	922
Total liabilities at fair value	$922

FAIR_VALUE_MEASUREMENT_Reconci

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT Reconciliation of Beginning and Ending Level 3 Financial Liability Balances (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	$0	$922	$13,070
Payments of contingent purchase price	0	-927	-12,661
Total unrealized losses included in earnings	0	5	513
Balance, end of period	$0	$0	$922

FINANCING_ARRANGEMENTS_Details

FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Aug. 23, 2013	Oct. 29, 2012	Feb. 28, 2015
Level 2
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt fair value	$516,300,000	500,000,000
Unsecured Debt | Current Liability
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing outstanding		375,000,000
Unsecured Debt | Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2017 Term Loan
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
Debt instrument, interest rate during period	1.70%	1.20%
Debt, weighted average interest rate	1.30%	1.70%
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage ratio, minimum	0.65
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage ratio, maximum	1
Unsecured Debt | Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2017 Term Loan | Federal Funds Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, basis spread on variable rate	0.50%
Unsecured Debt | Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2017 Term Loan | LIBOR Rate Option
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, description of variable rate basis	One-month LIBOR
Unsecured Debt | Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2017 Term Loan | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, basis spread on variable rate	1.50%
Unsecured Debt | Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2017 Term Loan | Current Liability
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing outstanding	605,000,000
Senior Notes | Series A Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount			175,000,000
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage			3.97%
Senior Notes | Series B Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount			150,000,000
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage			4.26%
Senior Notes | Series C Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount			175,000,000
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage			4.60%
Senior Notes | Note Purchase Agreement
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage ratio, minimum	0.65
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage ratio, maximum	1
Debt instrument, interest expense ratio, maximum	2
Debt instrument, interest expense ratio, minimum	1
Debt instrument, priority debt, percentage	15.00%
Debt instrument, redemption price, percentage			100.00%
Subsequent Event | Unsecured Debt | Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility 2017 Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage debt to EBITDA ratio, maximum					3
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage debt to EBITDA ratio, minimum					1
Subsequent Event | Senior Notes | Note Purchase Agreement
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage debt to EBITDA ratio, maximum					3
Debt instrument, covenant, leverage debt to EBITDA ratio, minimum					1

INCOME_TAXES_Reconciliation_of

INCOME TAXES Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Interest and Penalties (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of period	$16,897	$16,788	$7,668
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year	2,002	1,572	4,172
Additions for tax positions of prior years	839	1,105	6,911
Reductions for tax positions of prior years	-183	-1,464	-1,061
Lapse in statute of limitations	-1,281	-238	-286
Settlements	0	-866	-616
Unrecognized tax benefits, end of the period	$18,274	$16,897	$16,788

INCOME_TAXES_Additional_Inform

INCOME TAXES - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Disclosure Income Taxes Additional Information [Abstract]
Unrecognized tax benefits and related interest and penalties, all of which would affect our effective tax rate if recognized	$24
Interest and penalties recognized	1.5	1.2	0.8
Interest and penalties accrued	5.7	4.6
Foreign net operating loss carryforwards tax effect	$8.30	$7.80

INCOME_TAXES_Components_of_the

INCOME TAXES Components of the Provision for Income Taxes (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Tax provision:
Federal	$224,468	$180,351	$326,708
State	32,110	26,351	38,931
Foreign	20,259	25,529	13,461
Current Income Tax Expense (Benefit), Total	276,837	232,231	379,100
Deferred provision (benefit):
Federal	-5,302	24,877	-11,674
State	-755	3,623	-1,334
Foreign	2,940	-3,274	-1,434
Deferred provision (benefit):	-3,117	25,226	-14,442
Total provision	$273,720	$257,457	$364,658

INCOME_TAXES_Reconciliation_of1

INCOME TAXES Reconciliation of the Provision for Income Taxes using Statutory Federal Income Tax Rate to the Effective Income Tax Rate (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Disclosure reconciliation of the provision for income taxes using statutory federal income tax rate to the effective income tax rate [Abstract]
Federal statutory rate	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
State income taxes, net of federal benefit	2.80%	2.90%	2.70%
Other	0.00%	0.30%	0.30%
Effective Income Tax Rate, Continuing Operations, Total	37.80%	38.20%	38.00%

INCOME_TAXES_Deferred_Tax_Asse

INCOME TAXES Deferred Tax Assets (Liabilities) (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Deferred tax assets:
Compensation	$78,516	$71,751
Receivables	13,397	11,780
Other	8,103	8,541
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible assets	-115,761	-113,518
Prepaid assets	-10,808	-9,948
Long-lived assets	-19,018	-20,310
Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries	-13,616	-10,600
Other	-28	-28
Net deferred tax (liabilities) assets	($59,215)	($62,332)

CAPITAL_STOCK_AND_STOCK_AWARD_2

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
	Vote
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Preferred stock, shares authorized	20,000,000	20,000,000
Preferred stock, par value	$0.10	$0.10
Common stock, shares authorized	480,000,000	480,000,000
Common stock, par value	$0.10	$0.10
Entitled vote for each share of Common Stock	1
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share, amount		218,932	127,323
Maximum employee contribution to purchase company stock	$10,000
Discount rate used to determine the purchase price	15.00%
Stock award, vesting rights	These options are subject to certain vesting requirements over a five-year period, based on the company’s earnings growth.
2009 Program
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Repurchase program, number of additional shares authorized for repurchase	10,000,000
Shares remaining for repurchase under authorization	0
2012 Program
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Repurchase program, number of additional shares authorized for repurchase	10,000,000
Shares remaining for repurchase under authorization	0
2013 Program
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of shares authorized to be repurchased		15,000,000
Shares remaining for repurchase under authorization	10,306,342
Stock Option
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Maximum shares that can be granted under stock plan	3,400,000
Shares available for stock awards	3,048,819
Stock award, vesting period	5 years
Unrecognized compensation expense	51,000,000
Full Value Awards
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Stock award, vesting period	5 years
Unrecognized compensation expense	$134,200,000
Restricted stock awards, discount for post-vesting holding restriction, lower limit	17.00%
Restricted stock awards, discount for post-vesting holding restriction, upper limit	22.00%

CAPITAL_STOCK_AND_STOCK_AWARD_3

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Summary of Total Compensation Expense Recognized in Statements of Operations for Stock-Based Compensation (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$47,861	$9,094	$59,381
Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	9,243	5	3,585
Stock awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	36,510	6,808	53,481
Company expense on ESPP discount
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$2,108	$2,281	$2,315

CAPITAL_STOCK_AND_STOCK_AWARD_4

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Summary of Stock Option Activity (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Outstanding, Beginning Balance	3,497,544
Grants	1,215,018
Exercised	-787
Terminated	-7,155
Outstanding, Ending Balance	4,704,620	3,497,544
Vested at December 31, 2014	926,218
Exercisable at December 31, 2014	926,218
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Exercise Price [Roll Forward]
Outstanding, Beginning Balance	$62.21
Grants	$74.55
Exercised	$68.81
Terminated	$58.25
Outstanding, Ending Balance	$65.40	$62.21
Vested at December 31, 2014	$63.28
Exercisable at December 31, 2014	$63.28
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value [Roll Forward]
Outstanding, Beginning Balance
Outstanding, Ending Balance	44,644
Vested at December 31, 2014	10,751
Exercisable at December 31, 2014	$10,751
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award Options Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term [Roll Forward]
Outstanding, Beginning Balance	8 years 6 months 22 days
Outstanding, Ending Balance	8 years 6 months 22 days
Vested at December 31, 2014	7 years 11 months 1 day
Exercisable at December 31, 2014	7 years 11 months 1 day
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share, amount		218,932	127,323

CAPITAL_STOCK_AND_STOCK_AWARD_5

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Intrinsic Value of Options Exercised (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Disclosure Intrinsic Value Of Options Exercised [Abstract]
Intrinsic value	$4	$7,640	$15,516

CAPITAL_STOCK_AND_STOCK_AWARD_6

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Summary of Performance Based Options by Year of Grant (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options granted, net of forfeitures	4,704,620
Weighted average grant date fair value	$13.53
Unvested options	3,778,657
2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options granted, net of forfeitures	911,430
Weighted average grant date fair value	$15.72
Unvested options	537,744
2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options granted, net of forfeitures	1,155,285
Weighted average grant date fair value	$13.15
Unvested options	957,394
2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options granted, net of forfeitures	1,424,531
Weighted average grant date fair value	$11.83
Unvested options	1,070,145
2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options granted, net of forfeitures	1,213,374
Weighted average grant date fair value	$14.23
Unvested options	1,213,374

CAPITAL_STOCK_AND_STOCK_AWARD_7

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Assumptions Used in Estimating the Fair Value Per Option (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Share based Compensation Arrangement by Share based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Method Used [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate, minimum	1.93%	0.18%	0.18%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum	1.96%	1.94%	0.89%
Expected volatility factor, minimum	22.00%	25.00%	26.00%
Expected volatility factor, maximum	25.00%	27.50%	27.50%
Weighted average fair value per option	$14.23	$11.73	$13.61
Minimum
Share based Compensation Arrangement by Share based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Method Used [Line Items]
Expected option term, minimum	6 years 3 months 17 days	3 days	3 days
Dividend per share (quarterly amounts)	$0.35	$0.35	$0.33
Maximum
Share based Compensation Arrangement by Share based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Method Used [Line Items]
Expected option term, minimum		6 years 3 months 17 days	6 years
Dividend per share (quarterly amounts)	$0.38		$0.35

CAPITAL_STOCK_AND_STOCK_AWARD_8

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Summary of Nonvested Performance-Based Restricted Stock Grants (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Nonvested Restricted Shares and Units - Number of Shares and Units [Roll Forward]
Unvested, Ending Balance	1,536,154
Nonvested Restricted Shares and Units - Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value [Roll Forward]
Unvested, Ending Balance	$55.54	[1]
Performance Based Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units
Nonvested Restricted Shares and Units - Number of Shares and Units [Roll Forward]
Unvested, Beginning Balance	2,028,669
Granted	321,995
Vested	-516,165
Forfeitures	-298,345
Unvested, Ending Balance	1,536,154
Nonvested Restricted Shares and Units - Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value [Roll Forward]
Unvested, Beginning Balance	$51.55
Granted	$60.70
Vested	$51.26
Forfeitures	$45.88
Unvested, Ending Balance	$54.67
[1]	Amount shown is the weighted average grant date fair value of performance shares and restricted stock units granted, net of forfeitures.

CAPITAL_STOCK_AND_STOCK_AWARD_9

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Summary of Performance Based Shares and Units by Year of Grant (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures	2,334,949
Weighted average grant date fair value (1)	$55.54	[1]
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units	1,536,154
2010
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures	686,919
Weighted average grant date fair value (1)	$63.28	[1]
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units	288,506
2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures	596,676
Weighted average grant date fair value (1)	$53.72	[1]
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units	352,037
2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures	333,881
Weighted average grant date fair value (1)	$48.65	[1]
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units	277,121
2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures	396,735
Weighted average grant date fair value (1)	$46.45	[1]
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units	297,552
2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance shares and stock units granted, net of forfeitures	320,738
Weighted average grant date fair value (1)	$60.74	[1]
Unvested performance shares and restricted stock units	320,938
[1]	Amount shown is the weighted average grant date fair value of performance shares and restricted stock units granted, net of forfeitures.

Recovered_Sheet1

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Summary of Nonvested Restricted Stock Grants (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Nonvested Restricted Shares and Units - Number of Shares and Units [Roll Forward]
Unvested, Ending Balance	1,536,154
Nonvested Restricted Shares and Units - Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value [Roll Forward]
Unvested, Ending Balance	$55.54	[1]
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units
Nonvested Restricted Shares and Units - Number of Shares and Units [Roll Forward]
Unvested, Beginning Balance	851,485
Granted	355,878
Vested	-187,049
Forfeitures	-66,190
Unvested, Ending Balance	954,124
Nonvested Restricted Shares and Units - Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value [Roll Forward]
Unvested, Beginning Balance	$45.68
Granted	$61.96
Vested	$43.15
Forfeitures	$47.60
Unvested, Ending Balance	$52.12
[1]	Amount shown is the weighted average grant date fair value of performance shares and restricted stock units granted, net of forfeitures.

Recovered_Sheet2

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Summary of Fair Value of Full Value Stock Vested (Detail) (Full Value Awards, USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Full Value Awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Fair value	$36,510	$6,808	$53,562

Recovered_Sheet3

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Summary of Employee Stock Purchase Plan Activity (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares purchased by employees	231,564	259,730	248,405
Aggregate cost to employees	$11,943	$12,928	$13,116
Expense recognized by the company	47,861	9,094	59,381
Company expense on ESPP discount
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expense recognized by the company	$2,108	$2,281	$2,315

Recovered_Sheet4

CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCK AWARD PLANS Share Repurchase Programs Activity (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Total value of shares repurchased	$164,037	$760,304	$257,064
2009 Program
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Shares repurchased		827,443	4,237,555	3,540,171	1,394,831
Total value of shares repurchased		48,048	257,064	246,935	90,500
2012 Program
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Shares repurchased		10,000,000
Total value of shares repurchased		579,853
2013 Program
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Shares repurchased		930,075
Total value of shares repurchased		57,689
2014 Program
Compensation Related Costs Share Based Payments Disclosure [Line Items]
Shares repurchased	3,763,583
Total value of shares repurchased	$239,037

COMMITMENTS_AND_CONTINGENCIES_1

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Profit-Sharing Plan Expense, Including Matching Contributions (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Disclosure Profit Sharing Plan Expense Including Matching Contributions [Abstract]
Profit-sharing plan expense	$30,112	$19,907	$24,769
Defined contribution match	4.00%

COMMITMENTS_AND_CONTINGENCIES_2

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Pending litigation claims, number	20
CEO | Deferred Share Award
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Stock award, vesting period	15 years
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined benefit plan contributions percent of compensation	100.00%
Accumulated benefit obligation	$0.20	$0.90
Investments to fund a future liability, market value	$0.20	$0.90

COMMITMENTS_AND_CONTINGENCIES_3

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Lease Expense (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Disclosure Lease Expense [Abstract]
Lease expense	$56,871	$54,753	$41,689

COMMITMENTS_AND_CONTINGENCIES_4

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Minimum Future Lease Commitments Under Noncancelable Lease Agreements (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Disclosure Minimum Future Lease Commitments Under Noncancelable Lease Agreements [Abstract]
2015	$43,903
2016	35,419
2017	28,295
2018	18,794
2019	13,559
Thereafter	9,807
Total	$149,777

ACQUISITIONS_AND_DIVESTITURES_1

ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Nov. 01, 2012	Oct. 16, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Oct. 01, 2012
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Gain on sale	$1,848,000	$0	$281,551,000
Phoenix
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase consideration				677,273,000
Equity interest issued or issuable, value assigned				60,200,000
Equity interest issued or issuable, number of shares				1.1
Acquisition price financed with debt				173,000,000
Adjustments to intangibles		10,600,000
Phoenix | Accounts Receivable
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to financial assets		1,500,000
Phoenix | Goodwill
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to financial assets		5,300,000
Phoenix | Current Deferred Taxes
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to financial assets		1,700,000
Phoenix | Non-Current Deferred Taxes
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to financial assets		2,100,000
Phoenix | Taxes Payable
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Adjustments to financial liabilities		3,000,000
T-Chek
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Long lived assets held-for-sale, proceeds from sale					302,500,000
Gain on sale						281,600,000
Apreo
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase consideration							26,500,000
Goodwill and other intangible assets related to acquisition							$17,400,000

ACQUISITIONS_AND_DIVESTITURES_2

ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES Business Combination (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Nov. 01, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill	$825,038	$829,073	$822,215
Phoenix
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents				75,372
Receivables				125,595
Other current assets				7,209
Property and equipment				12,160
Identifiable intangible assets				130,000
Goodwill				453,208
Other noncurrent assets				13,542
Total assets				817,086
Accounts payable				-45,367
Accrued expenses				-14,340
Other liabilities				-80,106
Estimated net assets acquired				$677,273

ACQUISITIONS_AND_DIVESTITURES_3

ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES Identifiable Intangible Assets and Estimated Useful Lives (Details) (Phoenix, USD $)	0 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Nov. 01, 2012
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets	$130,000
Customer Relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Life (years)	8 years
Identifiable intangible assets	129,800
Noncompete Agreements
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Life (years)	5 years
Identifiable intangible assets	$200

ACQUISITIONS_AND_DIVESTITURES_4

ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES Pro Forma (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Revenues	$3,357,202	$3,467,362	$3,502,918	$3,142,585	$3,152,882	$3,316,665	$3,288,262	$2,994,267	$13,470,067	$12,752,076	$11,359,113
Business acquisition, pro forma revenue											12,010,326
Income from operations	187,728	203,337	200,382	156,971	155,113	176,355	182,476	168,706	748,418	682,650	675,320
Business acquisition, pro forma operating income											678,873
Net income	112,947	124,981	118,596	93,187	92,952	107,737	111,872	103,343	449,711	415,904	593,804
Business acquisition, pro forma net income											592,976
Phoenix
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, pro forma revenue											692,836
Business acquisition, pro forma operating income											24,131
Business acquisition, pro forma net income											11,976
Eliminate personnel costs from purchased transportation and related services											-24,422
Eliminate personnel costs from selling, general, and administrative services											-50,065
Reclassify costs to personnel expenses											74,487
Contractual changes in compensation											-5,080
Additional amortization expense on identifiable intangible assets											13,555
Rent expense for new lease agreements											280
Depreciation on acquired building											123
Incremental interest expense											-2,127
Additional bonus paid by sellers											-1,400
Third party advisory fees paid by sellers											-582
Elimination of variable interest entities not acquired											215
Tax effect											-1,487
T-Chek
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business divestiture, pro forma revenue											-41,623
Business divestiture, pro forma operating income											-20,578
Business divestiture, pro forma net income											($12,804)

ACCELERATED_SHARE_REPURCHASE_D

ACCELERATED SHARE REPURCHASE (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 13, 2013	Feb. 28, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Aug. 24, 2013
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Treasury stock value	$164,037,000	$760,304,000	$257,064,000
Accelerated Share Repurchase
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Accelerated share repurchases, settlement payment								500,000,000
Accelerated share repurchases, pursuant discount percentage								0.94%
Shares repurchased	7,300,000	7,300,000		1,200,000	1,200,000		6,100,000
Treasury stock value		425,000,000					350,000,000
Value of stock repurchased as percentage of total amount of shares estimated under accelerated share repurchase agreement							70.00%
Accelerated share repurchase program adjustment		$75,000,000				$75,000,000

CHANGES_IN_ACCUMULATED_OTHER_C1

CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Accumulated other comprehensive loss [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	($28,610)	($10,620)

SUBSEQUENT_EVENTS_Details

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS (Details) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Mar. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Jan. 02, 2015

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Revenues

$3,357,202,000

$3,467,362,000

$3,502,918,000

$3,142,585,000

$3,152,882,000

$3,316,665,000

$3,288,262,000

$2,994,267,000

$13,470,067,000

$12,752,076,000

$11,359,113,000

Freightquote

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Revenues

623,000,000

Net revenues

124,000,000

Freightquote | Subsequent Event

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Total purchase price of acquisition

$365,000,000

SUPPLEMENTARY_DATA_UNAUDITED_S

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA (UNAUDITED) Summary of Unaudited Results of Operations for Each Quarter (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenues:
Transportation	$3,010,291	$3,069,056	$3,038,923	$2,803,704	$2,767,550	$2,880,901	$2,818,077	$2,603,182	$11,921,974	$11,069,710	$9,685,415
Sourcing	342,951	393,980	460,816	335,808	382,098	432,373	466,811	387,852	1,533,555	1,669,134	1,620,183
Payment Services	3,960	4,326	3,179	3,073	3,234	3,391	3,374	3,233	14,538	13,232	53,515
Total revenues	3,357,202	3,467,362	3,502,918	3,142,585	3,152,882	3,316,665	3,288,262	2,994,267	13,470,067	12,752,076	11,359,113
Costs and expenses:
Purchased transportation and related services	2,535,985	2,575,069	2,555,371	2,375,825	2,351,530	2,450,923	2,386,932	2,181,930	10,042,250	9,371,315	8,157,278
Purchased products sourced for resale	318,946	364,179	425,922	308,962	356,299	401,820	428,059	356,006	1,418,009	1,542,184	1,483,745
Purchased payment services	455	550	588	563	588	616	669	609	2,156	2,482	519
Personnel expenses	235,117	244,621	238,986	220,297	203,619	204,388	206,009	212,645	939,021	826,661	766,006
Other selling, general, and administrative expenses	78,971	79,606	81,669	79,967	85,733	82,563	84,117	74,371	320,213	326,784	276,245
Total costs and expenses	3,169,474	3,264,025	3,302,536	2,985,614	2,997,769	3,140,310	3,105,786	2,825,561	12,721,649	12,069,426	10,683,793
Income from operations	187,728	203,337	200,382	156,971	155,113	176,355	182,476	168,706	748,418	682,650	675,320
Net income	$112,947	$124,981	$118,596	$93,187	$92,952	$107,737	$111,872	$103,343	$449,711	$415,904	$593,804
Basic net income per share (in dollars per share)	$0.77	$0.85	$0.80	$0.63	$0.62	$0.69	$0.70	$0.64	$3.06	$2.65	$3.68
Diluted net income per share (in dollars per share)	$0.77	$0.85	$0.80	$0.63	$0.62	$0.69	$0.70	$0.64	$3.05	$2.65	$3.67
Basic weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	145,856	146,646	147,826	148,517	150,856	156,924	159,818	160,637	147,202	156,915	161,557
Dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards (in shares)	794	210	148	491	274	120	99	53	340	165	389
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	146,650	146,856	147,974	149,008	151,130	157,044	159,917	160,690	147,542	157,080	161,946
Market price range of common stock:
High (in dollars per share)	$77.49	$69.50	$64.09	$60.31	$61.94	$62.46	$61.91	$67.93
Low (in dollars per share)	$63.42	$63.09	$51.10	$50.21	$55.92	$55.26	$53.74	$55.81

SCHEDULE_II_VALUATION_AND_QUAL1

SCHEDULE II. VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS Transactions in the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2013
Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of year	$39,292	$34,560	$31,328	$39,292
Provision	15,092	15,587	10,459
Write-offs	-13,333	-10,855	-7,227
Balance, end of year	$41,051	$39,292	$34,560	$39,292