April 30 (Reuters) - Global freight forwarder C.H.

Robinson's ( CHRW ) first-quarter profit beat Wall Street

estimates on Wednesday, helped by new business gains in its

global forwarding segment and improved margins in North American

surface transportation business.

"We outgrew the market in both truckload and

less-than-truckload while expanding gross margins and improving

productivity," said CEO Dave Bozeman.

"In our global forwarding business, we continued to win new

business and optimize our expenses through further increases in

productivity."

President Donald Trump's tariffs, however, have created

market uncertainty and a lack of clarity, causing many of C.H.

Robinson's ( CHRW ) customers to adopt a wait-and-see approach until the

impact of the tariffs on consumer spending and global demand

becomes clear.

"We are certainly not immune to global market dynamics,"

Bozeman added.

The Minnesota-based company reported adjusted profit of

$1.17 per share for the quarter ended March 31, compared with

analysts' average estimate of $1.04, according to data compiled

by LSEG.

However, its total revenue fell 8.3% to $4.05 billion, below

estimates of $4.26 billion.