C.H. Robinson has strengthened its position in the specialist freight market by acquiring Illinois-based DeSpir Logistics, a company focused on secure transportation and cargo escort services across North America.
The acquisition, valued at $75 million (£55 million), marks a significant step for one of the world’s largest third-party logistics (3PL) providers, following comments from chief executive Dave Bozeman that the company was preparing to return to acquisitions after a period of restraint.
Speaking at the Wolfe Research Global Transportation & Industrial Research Conference in New York last month, Mr Bozeman indicated that C.H. Robinson was ready to re-enter the mergers and acquisitions market after spending recent years rebuilding the business.
“We’re going to be disciplined and measured,” he said.
“Robinson has been around for 120 years and has always done M&A. It’s just one of those things.”
He added that the company was in a strong financial position to pursue acquisitions and had built the right operational foundations to support future growth.
Strategic move into high-value freight
DeSpir Logistics specialises in transporting “mission-critical” and high-value cargo that requires heightened levels of security and oversight.
C.H. Robinson said the acquisition would strengthen its capabilities in sectors where precision, compliance and risk management are increasingly important, including healthcare, life sciences, data centres, aerospace and high-value retail.
The company said demand for these services is rising as global supply chains become more complex and organised cargo theft becomes more sophisticated.
The purchase price represents a relatively modest valuation, with DeSpir generating approximately $62 million in revenue last year, equating to a multiple of around 1.2 times annual sales.
Previous acquisition had gone largely unnoticed
Although DeSpir is being presented as C.H. Robinson’s latest expansion move, it is not technically the first acquisition under Mr Bozeman’s leadership.
The company quietly acquired Breaker19, a specialist oilfield logistics business, during the fourth quarter of 2025.
However, no formal announcement accompanied the deal, and C.H. Robinson’s annual filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission only listed Breaker19 as a subsidiary without disclosing financial details.
The acquisition was also absent from both the company’s fourth-quarter 2025 and first-quarter 2026 earnings calls.
Prior to that, C.H. Robinson’s most recent traditional brokerage acquisition occurred in June 2021, when it purchased Dutch logistics company Combinex Holding B.V. for $14.7 million.
Security and fraud prevention increasingly important
At the end of the first quarter, C.H. Robinson held almost $160 million in cash and cash-equivalent assets.
Company executives said the DeSpir acquisition would enhance existing specialist freight services, particularly for sensitive cargo requiring additional protection.
Adam McDonough, Vice President for Capacity at C.H. Robinson, said some shipments carried exceptionally high risks.
“This is the kind of cargo where the stakes are incredibly high, such as life-saving pharmaceuticals that must remain within strict temperature ranges, or critical data centre equipment that is frequently targeted for theft,” he said.
He described the partnership as combining C.H. Robinson’s large-scale logistics network and fraud prevention capabilities with DeSpir’s specialist expertise in handling complex, high-risk freight.
“This is a specialised service that many of our customers need,” he added.
Building specialist expertise at scale
Michael Castagnetto, President of North American Surface Transportation (NAST), said the acquisition was designed to blend specialist knowledge with the company’s extensive network.
“We’re taking very specific, nuanced expertise and coupling it with our scale,” he said.
NAST is C.H. Robinson’s largest business segment and includes its core freight brokerage operations.
DeSpir Managing Partner John Carr said joining the logistics giant would allow the company to broaden its reach while maintaining the standards its customers expect.
“Joining C.H. Robinson allows us to extend that expertise to more customers, while continuing to deliver the level of control and precision our customers have always expected from us,” he said.
C.H. Robinson sets a ‘high bar’ for acquisitions
Chief Financial Officer Damon Lee recently outlined the company’s cautious approach to future deals, emphasising that acquisitions would only proceed when they clearly added strategic value.
“We have a very high bar for M&A,” Mr Lee said during the Wolfe conference.
“We’re not going to make a mistake on M&A. But we had to get the company ready for an acquisition. Six months ago, 12 months ago, we weren’t ready.”
He suggested C.H. Robinson would target specialist small and medium-sized businesses that offer capabilities the company does not already possess.
“You put the Robinson scale behind it, and the return on investment is incredible,” he said.
The DeSpir acquisition appears to fit that strategy precisely, signalling that C.H. Robinson may now be entering a new phase of targeted expansion focused on specialist, high-margin logistics services rather than large-scale consolidation.