May 1 (Reuters) - Logistics company C.H. Robinson reported first-quarter revenue above Wall Street estimates on Wednesday, helped by higher pricing and increased volume in its ocean services and truckload units.

Revenue from its global forwarding unit, which deals with ocean and air freight, rose 8.7% to $858.6 million, compared with $790 million a year ago.

The company's total revenue decreased 4.3% to $4.41 billion, but beat analysts' estimate of $4.27 billion, according to LSEG data.

"Although we continue to battle through an elongated freight recession with an oversupply of capacity, I'm optimistic about our ability to continue improving our execution regardless of the market environment," CEO Dave Bozeman said.

A rise in shipments during the pandemic saw a surge in new freight brokers entering the industry but, as overall volumes drop, the competition to win more freight increases.

This excess capacity in a low volume environment forces brokers to bid on lower prices for shipments, impacting their margins and causing freight rates to drop across the industry.

The company's North American surface transportation (NAST) unit, its biggest segment, which includes truckload and less than truckload (LTL) transportation brokerage services, posted a revenue of $3 billion, down 9.2% from $3.30 billion a year earlier.

The Minnesota-based company posted net income of $92.9 million, or 78 cents per share, for the quarter ended March 31, compared with $114.9 million, or 96 cents per share, a year earlier.

Shares of the company rose 13.5% to $81.9 in extended trading. (Reporting by Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)