Financial research concept

Freight Broker Routing Guide Depth

Routing guide depth measures how many carriers a broker or managed-transportation platform typically contacts before a load is accepted, providing a signal about available freight capacity.

By Lee BaileyPublished Sep 25, 2026

Research context

See what supports this page, how current it is, and where comparable or historical context is available.

Research date: Sep 25, 2026Use the dated article and cited sources for the definition, examples, and stated limitations.
Operating-model context: 19 connected conceptsPart of the reviewed Freight Brokerage & Forwarding Economics; issuer definitions remain distinct where disclosed.
Company examples: 1 reviewed companyRelationships reflect supported examples, not a normalized cross-company KPI ranking.

C.H. Robinson example
How to read it
Investor use
Source
Part of the Freight Brokerage & Forwarding Economics
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Routing guide depth measures the average number of carriers contacted before a transportation provider accepts a shipment.

It is a freight-capacity indicator rather than a financial statement metric.

C.H. Robinson example

C.H. Robinson reported average routing guide depth of 1.3 in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared with approximately 1.2 for much of the prior two years.

The company interpreted the increase as an early sign of a tightening North American surface transportation market.

How to read it

A deeper routing guide generally means the broker must move further down its preferred carrier list before finding capacity.

That can signal:

tightening carrier supply;
lane-specific scarcity;
weather disruptions;
stronger freight demand; or
lower primary-carrier acceptance.

A very low depth can indicate abundant capacity.

Investor use

Use routing-guide depth with spot rates, carrier exits, truckload linehaul costs, and broker adjusted gross profit per transaction.

It is a market-condition signal, not a direct measure of profitability.

Source

C.H. Robinson 2025 Form 10-K

Part of the Freight Brokerage & Forwarding Economics

Connect customer freight activity, purchased transportation, brokerage spread, surface-transport pricing, capacity signals, and forwarding volume and profit to understand asset-light logistics economics.

Browse the full operating model in Company Analysis →

Where this concept fits

North American surface pricing, volume, and capacityCurrent relationship
Truckload and LTL volume show transaction activity, service-line adjusted gross profit shows retained economics, and customer-versus-carrier linehaul changes frame the truckload pricing spread. Routing-guide depth adds a capacity signal by showing how far a managed load moves through preferred carrier options before acceptance.
LTL Adjusted Gross Profit Broker LTL Volume GrowthRouting Guide DepthCurrent conceptTruckload Adjusted Gross Profit Carrier Linehaul Cost per Mile Customer Linehaul Rate per Mile Broker Truckload Volume Growth
Network activity, purchased capacity, and retained spread
Shipments managed, freight under management, and contract-carrier scale describe the activity and sourcing network. Purchased transportation is the principal direct capacity cost, while adjusted gross profit and adjusted gross profit margin show the spread retained after buying transportation.
Freight Broker Adjusted Gross Profit Adjusted Gross Profit Margin Contract Carrier Network Freight Under Management Purchased Transportation Cost Shipments Managed
Global forwarding volume and adjusted gross profit
Ocean, air, and customs volume changes show forwarding activity, while the matching adjusted gross profit measures show whether retained economics move with or diverge from volume as carrier rates, trade conditions, and service mix change.
Air Adjusted Gross Profit Air Volume Growth Customs Adjusted Gross Profit Customs Volume Growth Ocean Adjusted Gross Profit Ocean Volume Growth

See It in Company Research

These companies are examples of how the concept is reported or discussed in public filings. Definitions can differ by issuer; these links open company research rather than a normalized metric comparison.

CHRWOpen operating-model research →19 of 19 reviewed concepts in Freight Brokerage & Forwarding EconomicsNorth American surface pricing, volume, and capacity7 of 7 bridge concepts supportedContinue through this bridge:Broker LTL Volume Growth Broker Truckload Volume Growth Carrier Linehaul Cost per Mile Customer Linehaul Rate per Mile LTL Adjusted Gross Profit Truckload Adjusted Gross Profit

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