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

A system comprising:

• a measurement system for determining shipping parameters of a shipment, wherein:
• the shipment comprises one or more freight units;
• each of the one or more freight units comprises one or more goods;
• the shipping parameters comprise a weight, height, width, and depth for each of the one or more freight units;
• and
• the measurement system comprises a lidar camera and a scale;
• a computer system that is in communication with the measurement system, wherein the computer system comprises:
• a database that stores pricing rules for a plurality of freight carriers;
• a client computer device;
• and
• a host computer system that is in communication with the client computer device and the database,
• wherein the computer system is configured to:
• compute a density for each of the one or more freight units in the shipment based on the shipping parameters;
• compute 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;
• determine, by the host 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 increasing the density of the one or more freight units, wherein the adjustment comprises an increase in at least a weight of the one or more freight units;
• and
• transmit, by the host computer system to the client computer device, data about the adjustment prior to loading the shipment onto a carrier vehicle.