Multilayered method and apparatus to facilitate the accurate calculation of freight density, area, and classification and provide recommendations to optimize shipping efficiency

A method comprising:

• determining, with a measurement system, shipping parameters for a shipment that comprises one or more freight units, wherein:
• each of the one or more freight units comprises one or more goods;
• the shipping parameters comprise a weight, height, width, and depth of each of the one or more freight units;
• the measurement system comprises a depth camera, a scale and a rangefinder;
• and
• range data from the rangefinder are used to calibrate the depth camera;
• and
• computing, by a computer system that comprises a host computer system, a client computer device, and a database that stores pricing rules for a plurality of freight carriers, and wherein a density for each of the one or more freight units in the shipment based on the shipping parameters;
• computing, by the computer system, a shipping cost for shipping the shipment with each of the plurality of freight carriers based on carrier-specific pricing rules, stored in the database, for each of plurality the freight carriers, wherein computing the shipping cost for each of the freight carriers comprises determining, based on the carrier-specific pricing rules for the plurality of freight carriers, whether each of the plurality of freight carriers would designate the shipment as density-based or class-based for purposes of determining the shipping cost;
• determining, by the computer system, an adjustment to the shipping parameters for the shipment that reduces the shipping cost for at least one of the plurality of freight carriers by changing the density of the one or more freight units, wherein the adjustment comprises an increase in weight, height, width or depth of the one or more freight units, wherein the adjustment to the shipping parameters causes at least one of the shipping carriers to switch between a density-based rate calculator and a class-based rate calculator;
• and
• transmitting, by the computer system to the client computer device, data about the adjustment prior to loading the shipment onto a carrier vehicle.