CH Robinson (CHRW) Risk Analysis

Our operations may be regulated and licensed by various federal, state, and local transportation agencies in the U.S. and similar governmental agencies in foreign countries in which we operate. We are subject to licensing and regulation as a property freight broker and are licensed by the DOT to arrange for the transportation of property by motor vehicle. The DOT prescribes qualifications for acting in this capacity, including certain surety bonding requirements. For purposes of our Global Forwarding services, we are also subject to regulation by the FMC as an ocean freight forwarder and NVOCC, and we maintain separate bonds and licenses for each. We operate as a Department of Homeland Security certified IAC, providing air freight services, subject to commercial standards set forth by the IATA and federal regulations issued by the TSA. We provide customs brokerage services as a customs broker under a license issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP"), and we maintain Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism certification with CBP. Some customs entries fall within the jurisdiction of other authoritative governmental agencies (e.g., Food and Drug Administration, Fish and Wildlife Service, etc.). We also have and maintain other licenses as required by law. We source fresh produce under a license issued by the USDA as required by PACA. We are also subject to various regulations and requirements promulgated by other international, domestic, state, and local agencies and port authorities. Our failure to comply with the laws and regulations applicable to entities holding these licenses could materially and adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition. Legislative or regulatory changes can affect the economics of the transportation industry by requiring changes in operating practices or influencing the demand for, and the cost of providing, transportation services. As part of our logistics services, we operate owned or leased warehouse facilities. Our operations at these facilities include both warehousing and distribution services, and we are subject to various federal, state, and international environmental, work safety, and hazardous materials regulations. We may experience an increase in operating costs, such as security costs, as a result of governmental regulations that have been or will be adopted in response to terrorist activities and potential terrorist activities. No assurances can be given that we will be able to pass these increased costs on to our customers in the form of rate increases or surcharges, and our operations and profitability may be materially and adversely affected as a result. Department of Homeland Security regulations applicable to our customers that import goods into the U.S. and our contracted ocean carriers can impact our ability to provide and/or receive services with and from these parties. Enforcement measures related to violations of these regulations can slow and/or prevent the delivery of shipments, which may negatively impact our operations. We cannot predict the impact that future regulations may have on our business. Our failure to maintain required permits or licenses, or to comply with applicable regulations, could result in substantial fines or revocation of our operating permits and licenses.

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and other jurisdictions where we operate. Changes to income tax laws and regulations in any of the jurisdictions where we operate could adversely affect our overall tax liability. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ("OECD") reached agreement among various countries to implement a minimum 15 percent tax rate on certain multinational enterprises, commonly referred to as Pillar Two. Many countries continue to announce changes in their tax laws and regulations based on the Pillar Two proposals. We are continuing to evaluate the impact of these proposed and enacted legislative changes as new guidance becomes available. Some of these legislative changes could impact our effective tax rate and tax liabilities. Given the numerous proposed tax law changes and the uncertainty regarding such proposed legislative changes, the impact of Pillar Two could adversely impact our effective tax rate, financial position, and results of operations.

Future and existing environmental regulatory requirements, including evolving transportation technology, in the U.S. and abroad could adversely affect operations and increase operating expenses, which in turn could increase our purchased transportation costs. We may also incur expenses as a result of regulators requiring additional climate-related disclosures regarding our contracted transportation providers that may be labor-intensive to report on. Until the timing, scope, and extent of such possible regulation becomes known, we cannot predict its effect on our company, but if we are unable to pass such costs along to our customers, our business could be materially and adversely affected. Even without any new legislation or regulation, increased public concern regarding greenhouse gas emissions by transportation carriers could harm the reputations of companies operating in the transportation and logistics industries and shift consumer demand toward more locally sourced products and away from our services. General risk factors

We provide services within and between foreign countries on an increasing basis. Our business outside of the U.S. is subject to various risks, including: - changes in tariffs, trade restrictions, trade agreements, and taxations;- difficulties in managing or overseeing foreign operations and agents;- limitations on the repatriation of funds because of foreign exchange controls;- different liability standards;- intellectual property laws of countries that do not protect our rights in our intellectual property, including but not limited to, our proprietary information systems, to the same extent as the laws of the U.S.;- issues related to non-compliance with laws, rules, and regulations in the countries in which we operate including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar regulations. Failure to comply could result in reputational harm, substantial penalties, and operational restrictions; and - global laws and regulations regarding the collection, use, processing, and transfer of personal information may impact our services by imposing restrictions on processing, increase legal claim liability, and increase regulatory scrutiny and fines. These requirements continue to evolve and vary by region and regime, which increases the risk of noncompliance and impacts operations, including additional expenses and resources necessary to manage compliant operations. The occurrence or consequences of any of these factors may restrict our ability to operate in the affected region and/or decrease the profitability of our operations in that region. As we continue to expand our business internationally, we expose the company to increased risk of loss from foreign currency fluctuations, as well as longer accounts receivable payment cycles. Foreign currency fluctuations could result in currency exchange gains or losses or could affect the book value of our assets and liabilities. Furthermore, we may experience unanticipated changes to our income tax liabilities resulting from changes in geographical income mix and changing international tax legislation. We have limited control over these risks, and if we do not correctly anticipate changes in international economic and political conditions, we may not alter our business practices in time to avoid adverse effects.

Our continued success depends upon our ability to attract and retain motivated logistics professionals. In order to maintain high variability in our business model, it is necessary to adjust staffing levels to changing market demands. In periods of rapid change, it may be more difficult to match our staffing level to our business needs. We cannot guarantee we will be able to continue to hire and retain a sufficient number of qualified personnel. In addition, macroeconomic factors impacting the labor market may result in higher costs to hire and retain qualified personnel. Because of our comprehensive employee training program, our employees are attractive targets for new and existing competitors. Continued success depends in large part on our ability to develop successful employees into managers.

Carriers can be expected to charge higher prices if market conditions warrant or to cover higher operating expenses. Our adjusted gross profits and income from operations may decrease if we are unable to increase our pricing to our customers. Increased demand for over the road transportation services and changes in regulations may reduce available capacity and increase motor carrier pricing. In some instances where we have entered into contract freight rates with customers, in the event market conditions change and those contracted rates are below market rates, we may be required to provide transportation services at a loss. As our volumes increase or we increase freight rates charged to our customers, the resulting increase in revenues may increase our working capital needs due to our business model, which generally has a higher length of days sales outstanding than days payables outstanding. Changing fuel costs and interruptions of fuel supplies may have an impact on our adjusted gross profit margin. In our truckload transportation business, fluctuating fuel prices may result in a decreased adjusted gross profit margin. While our different pricing arrangements with customers and contracted motor carriers make it very difficult to measure the precise impact, we believe fuel costs essentially act as a pass-through cost to our truckload business. In times of fluctuating fuel prices, our adjusted gross profit margin may also fluctuate. Adjusted gross profit margin is a non-GAAP financial measure calculated as adjusted gross profits divided by total revenues. For additional information, see Item 7 of Part II, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Competition in the transportation services industry is intense and broad-based. We compete against traditional and non-traditional logistics companies, including transportation providers that own equipment, third-party freight brokers, technology matching services, internet freight brokers, carriers offering logistics services, and on-demand transportation service providers. We also compete against carriers' internal sales forces. In addition, customers can bring in-house some of the services we provide to them. We often buy and sell transportation services from and to many of our competitors. Increased competition could reduce our market opportunity and create downward pressure on freight rates, and continued rate pressure may adversely affect our adjusted gross profits and income from operations. In some instances where we have entered into contract freight rates with customers, in the event market conditions change and those contracted rates are below market rates, we may be required to provide transportation services at a loss.