Carrier Advantage Program

Earn benefits for tracking automation and on-time performance.

What is the Carrier Advantage Program?

The Carrier Advantage Program (CAP) supports carriers that commit to tracking success and the highest level of on-time pick-up and delivery. Top-performing carriers will get access to the most freight along with better payment terms and carrier rewards, while those that do not meet these expectations will have limited freight access and may be restricted from booking.

Top benefits of our Carrier Rewards Program

With access to the most freight and faster payment, we reward contract carriers who deliver the highest levels of on-time performance and automated tracking.

  • Earliest access to the largest digital freight marketplace in North America
  • Discounted payment options
  • More benefits—coming soon

Frequently asked questions

When it comes to C.H. Robinson’s Carrier Advantage Program, you have questions, we have answers.

Q: What are the tracking expectations for the Carrier Advantage Program?

C.H. Robinson contract carriers are expected to provide digital track and trace updates at the following time frames throughout the life of a load:

  • Pre-pickup and Pre-delivery: 4 hours and 2 hours before driver's arrival. If the driver will arrive late, we need an update 4 hours and 2 hours before the appointment close time.
  • In-transit notifications: Every 4 hours in transit
  • Arrival notifications: 30 minutes after arrival; 30 minutes after departure

Q: What are the Carrier Advantage Program status levels?

There are three status levels in the Carrier Advantage Program—Key, Core, and Base. The combination of loads with automated tracking success and on-time stops within a calendar month determines the status the carrier qualifies for the following month.

  • Key is the highest program status.
  • Core is the second-highest program status. 
  • Base is the lowest program status. 
  • Those who do not meet the program thresholds for base status are at risk of falling into restricted status, which will disable carriers from booking future freight.

Q: How are Carrier Advantage Program statuses calculated?

The combination of loads with tracking success and on-time pick-up and delivery within a calendar month determines which status the carrier qualifies for the following month.

  • Tracking success: Updates from approved tracking methods in accordance with the C.H. Robinson’s tracking expectations throughout the life of the load are required.
  • On-time is calculated based on the appointment time that is listed in the load for the stop. For stop-level details, see the "My Loads" page in Navisphere Carrier.

The combination of these two scores determines the overall Carrier Advantage Program status.


Note: If the combined scores achieve Key status, the overall Carrier Advantage Program status is Key. If one score is Key and the other is Core, the overall Carrier Advantage Program status is Core.

Q: How are automated updates defined?

Automated updates must be received from an approved and connected onboard Global Positioning System (GPS) or Electronic Logging Device (ELD), an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or Application Programing Interface (API) connection, Navisphere Carrier—web or mobile app. See a complete list of approved methods here.

For a GPS or ELD connection, a tractor/trailer number must be successfully assigned to the load. Tracking will begin 4 hours before pick-up and end when the load is delivered.

For the mobile apps, a driver must be successfully assigned to the load. Locations will begin 4 hours before pick-up and end when the load is delivered.

Q: What date ranges are used to calculate my score and when are they updated?

Your current status is based on loads marked delivered in the calendar month being scored and will be updated the second day of the following month. The trending status is a month-to-date view of your scoring and the status you are trending towards for that calendar month. Data can be delayed as it does take time for calculations to be completed and updated for you to view. Check back often, as we are always updating your trending scores to reflect your performance.

Q: How is the “on-time stop” score calculated?

On-time is calculated based on the appointment time that is listed in the load for the stop. For stop-level details, see the "My Loads" page in Navisphere Carrier.

Have more questions?

Ask about service requirements, program tiers, discount eligibility, our free load board, or anything else. Our carrier services team is standing by, ready to help.

* All C.H. Robinson contract carriers are automatically enrolled in the program. Contract carriers are benchmarked in two service areas—tracking success and on-time performance. An overall service score determines the carrier’s status within the program. Carriers that do not meet minimum on-time delivery or tracking automation thresholds are at risk of falling into a restricted status, which will disable carriers from booking future freight. All statuses are reviewed and updated monthly.