C.H. Robinson Carrier Roster Shrinks

Freight brokerage giant C.H. Robinson says its base of carriers shrank 6 percent, or 3,000 carriers, in 2009 as the recession took a toll on transportation capacity providers.

The figure from the United States’ largest truck broker, which counts on motor carriers with fewer than 100 tractors for 75 percent of its capacity, suggests the spreading effect the economic downturn had on smaller companies.

The contraction in Robinson’s carrier base came as the company added 3,000 customers during the year, a 9.3 percent gain over 2008.

Minneapolis-based C.H. Robinson saw its transportation net revenue fall 0.4 percent in 2009 from the year before, with volume declining across all its service except for a 27 percent gain in less-than-truckload volume.

The company said in a 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 2009 released last week that its cost of truckload capacity, excluding fuel surcharges, fell 6 percent in 2009 “as carriers lowered their rates.”