C.H. Robinson has agreed to buy RXO in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $5.8 billion, including debt. RXO shareholders will receive $17.25 in cash and 0.0856 Robinson shares for each RXO share. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approval and a shareholder vote.
RXO serves 18,000 shippers and 150,000 carriers, while Robinson serves 75,000 shippers and 450,000 carriers, according to Robinson’s investor slides. Robinson says the companies have limited customer overlap. Transport Topics ranks Robinson first and RXO fifth among freight brokers by gross revenue.
Robinson expects about $300 million in annual cost savings within two years of closing. The savings would come from four areas:
Lower cost to serve: Applying Robinson’s Lean operating model and “fleet of AI agents” to RXO’s workflows.
Shared services: Centralizing functions and removing duplicate roles and costs.
Outside services: Moving RXO onto Robinson’s existing vendors.
Real estate and insurance: Consolidating sites and combining insurance buying.
Robinson will integrate RXO primarily into its North American Surface Transportation (NAST) division. Navisphere, Robinson’s logistics platform, will become the system of record for overlapping truckload and LTL operations, CFO Damon Lee said. He said RXO has “some very interesting technology” in expedited and last mile that could complement Robinson’s.
RXO went through the same kind of integration after it bought Coyote Logistics from UPS in 2024. It took about eight months after that deal closed to move Coyote’s carrier and coverage operations onto its own platform.
S&P Global Ratings has revised Robinson’s outlook to negative, citing freight volatility, legal risks and potential customer losses.
