C.H. Robinson delivers on AI, but investors still skeptical

“Each further shipping measurement we’ve automated beyond those has created caller leaps successful ratio for planetary proviso chains and freed our radical to bash much high-value enactment for our customers,” said Arun Rajan, main strategy and innovation officer, successful the release.

For context, Robinson isn’t caller to AI. According to the planetary logistics provider, it has spent much than a decennary integrating artificial quality astatine scale. In 2023, C.H. Robinson launched its archetypal generative AI cause and began rolling retired its features passim 2024.

Rajan explained that much than 1 cardinal terms quotes and 1 cardinal orders person already been processed by AI. Beyond quoting and ordering, these agents grip assignment mounting for pickups and deliveries, show loads successful transit and nonstop tracking updates.

One country seeing peculiarly beardown traction successful its AI investments is less-than-truckload shipping. Since incorporating LTL into its AI-driven quoting system, Robinson has reported monthly punctuation volumes jumping by astatine slightest 30%.

“In February and March, our AI took attraction of conscionable arsenic galore LTL orders arsenic truckload orders. … We archetypal applied our orders AI cause to emails from our biggest customers with the astir truckload volume. Now successful 2025, we’re extending it to much of our customers successful the tiny and mean concern sector, who are dense users of some email and LTL shipping. Instead of waiting up to 4 hours for a idiosyncratic to get to their shipment successful an email queue, implicit 5,200 customers are getting their loads accepted successful nether 90 seconds,” said Mark Albrecht, VP for artificial intelligence, successful the release.

In January, Robinson besides launched an AI cause specifically designed to process inbound bearer emails offering motortruck capacity. Within a month, the strategy reportedly was uploading 10 times much trucks into the company’s real-time capableness center.

March had its ain AI updates arsenic well, including an upgraded appointment-scheduling AI, a aviator dependable AI capableness utilized for bearer presumption updates and a caller exemplary to automate responses to lawsuit tracking requests.

For anyone who’s followed the company’s net calls, these updates shouldn’t travel arsenic a surprise. CEO Dave Bozeman and Rajan person been consistently transparent astir the company’s integer ambitions, particularly arsenic the freight marketplace remains stuck successful what Bozeman has called a “prolonged freight recession.”

Robinson’s fourth-quarter 2024 net painted a mixed picture: beardown year-over-year gains successful profitability, with its adjusted operating borderline climbing to 26.8% and North American Surface Transportation income up 41.2%, adjacent arsenic gross slid 6.6%.