GENERAL	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
GENERAL	GENERAL Basis of Presentation - C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and our subsidiaries (“the company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) are a global provider of transportation services and logistics solutions operating through a network of offices located in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. and our majority owned and controlled subsidiaries. Our minority interests in subsidiaries are not significant. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements. Our reportable segments are North American Surface Transportation (“NAST”), Global Forwarding, Robinson Fresh, and All Other and Corporate. The All Other and Corporate segment includes Managed Services, Other Surface Transportation outside of North America, and other miscellaneous revenues and unallocated corporate expenses. We group offices primarily by services they provide. For financial information concerning our reportable segments, refer to Note 9. The condensed consolidated financial statements, which are unaudited, have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In our opinion, these financial statements include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the financial statements for the interim periods presented. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year. Consistent with SEC rules and regulations, we have condensed or omitted certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. You should read the condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. Recently Issued Accounting Standards - In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and in August 2015 issued ASU 2015-14, which amended the standard as to effective date. The new comprehensive revenue recognition standard will supersede all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to a customer in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard requires more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. We plan to adopt this new standard on January 1, 2018 under the modified retrospective transition method with a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings instead of retrospectively adjusting prior periods. We anticipate the adoption of this standard will change the timing of revenue recognition for most of our transportation business from at delivery to over the transit period as our performance obligation is completed. Due to the short transit period of many of our performance obligations, we do not expect this change to have a material impact on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows once implemented. We are in the final stages of implementing the necessary system, process, and internal control changes that will allow us to quantify the impact. The new standard will expand our existing revenue recognition disclosures upon adoption. In addition, we have identified certain customer contracts in our sourcing business that will change from a principal to an agent relationship under the new standard. This will cause the revenue associated with these contracts to be recognized at the net amount we charge our customers. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This update requires a lessee to recognize on the balance sheet a liability to make lease payments and a corresponding right-of-use asset. The guidance also requires certain qualitative and quantitative disclosures about the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, which will require us to adopt these provisions in the first quarter of 2019 using a modified retrospective approach. Early adoption is permitted, although we do not plan to adopt early. We have obligations under lease agreements for facilities and equipment, which are classified as operating leases under the existing lease standard. While we are still evaluating the impact ASU 2016-02 will have on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows, our financial statements will reflect an increase in both assets and liabilities due to the requirement to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets for our facility and equipment leases. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718). This update was issued as part of the FASB’s simplification initiative and affects all entities that issue share-based payment awards to their employees. The amendments in this update cover such areas as the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, the classification of those excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows, and accounting policy election for forfeitures, the amount an employer can withhold to cover income taxes and still qualify for equity classification, and the classification of those taxes paid on the statement of cash flows. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. During the first quarter of 2017, we adopted ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718). The adoption of ASU 2016-09 prospectively impacts the recording of income taxes related to share-based payment awards in our consolidated statement of financial position and results of operations, as well as the operating and financing cash flows on the consolidated statements of cash flows. The magnitude of such impacts are dependent on our future grants of stock-based compensation, our future stock price in relation to the fair value of awards on grant date, and the exercise behavior of our option holders. We prospectively adopted these provisions in the first quarter of 2017. Prior periods have not been restated. This adoption resulted in a decrease in our provision for income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 of $1.3 million and $11.9 million, respectively. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. This update simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairments by eliminating step two from the goodwill impairment test. Instead, if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, any impairment loss shall be recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The ASU is effective for annual and any interim impairment tests for periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. We have not yet selected a transition date, although we do not expect the adoption of this guidance to have any impact on our consolidated financial statements as the fair value of our reporting units is substantially in excess of their respective carrying values. In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting. This update amends the scope of modification accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The ASU provides guidance on the types of changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards to which an entity would be required to apply modification accounting under Topic 718. The ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in this update will be applied prospectively to awards modified on or after the adoption date. The future impact of ASU 2017-09 will be dependent on the nature of future stock award modifications.

GENERAL

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

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

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

Consistent with SEC rules and regulations, we have condensed or omitted certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. You should read the condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards - In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and in August 2015 issued ASU 2015-14, which amended the standard as to effective date. The new comprehensive revenue recognition standard will supersede all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to a customer in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard requires more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. We plan to adopt this new standard on January 1, 2018 under the modified retrospective transition method with a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings instead of retrospectively adjusting prior periods.

We anticipate the adoption of this standard will change the timing of revenue recognition for most of our transportation business from at delivery to over the transit period as our performance obligation is completed. Due to the short transit period of many of our performance obligations, we do not expect this change to have a material impact on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows once implemented. We are in the final stages of implementing the necessary system, process, and internal control changes that will allow us to quantify the impact. The new standard will expand our existing revenue recognition disclosures upon adoption. In addition, we have identified certain customer contracts in our sourcing business that will change from a principal to an agent relationship under the new standard. This will cause the revenue associated with these contracts to be recognized at the net amount we charge our customers.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This update requires a lessee to recognize on the balance sheet a liability to make lease payments and a corresponding right-of-use asset. The guidance also requires certain qualitative and quantitative disclosures about the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, which will require us to adopt these provisions in the first quarter of 2019 using a modified retrospective approach. Early adoption is permitted, although we do not plan to adopt early. We have obligations under lease agreements for facilities and equipment, which are classified as operating leases under the existing lease standard. While we are still evaluating the impact ASU 2016-02 will have on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows, our financial statements will reflect an increase in both assets and liabilities due to the requirement to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets for our facility and equipment leases.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718). This update was issued as part of the FASB’s simplification initiative and affects all entities that issue share-based payment awards to their employees. The amendments in this update cover such areas as the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, the classification of those excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows, and accounting policy election for forfeitures, the amount an employer can withhold to cover income taxes and still qualify for equity classification, and the classification of those taxes paid on the statement of cash flows. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. During the first quarter of 2017, we adopted ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718). The adoption of ASU 2016-09 prospectively impacts the recording of income taxes related to share-based payment awards in our consolidated statement of financial position and results of operations, as well as the operating and financing cash flows on the consolidated statements of cash flows. The magnitude of such impacts are dependent on our future grants of stock-based compensation, our future stock price in relation to the fair value of awards on grant date, and the exercise behavior of our option holders. We prospectively adopted these provisions in the first quarter of 2017. Prior periods have not been restated. This adoption resulted in a decrease in our provision for income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 of $1.3 million and $11.9 million, respectively.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. This update simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairments by eliminating step two from the goodwill impairment test. Instead, if the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, any impairment loss shall be recognized in an amount equal to that excess, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The ASU is effective for annual and any interim impairment tests for periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. We have not yet selected a transition date, although we do not expect the adoption of this guidance to have any impact on our consolidated financial statements as the fair value of our reporting units is substantially in excess of their respective carrying values.

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting. This update amends the scope of modification accounting for share-based payment arrangements. The ASU provides guidance on the types of changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards to which an entity would be required to apply modification accounting under Topic 718. The ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in this update will be applied prospectively to awards modified on or after the adoption date. The future impact of ASU 2017-09 will be dependent on the nature of future stock award modifications.