Received a $5000 Ticket!

I will ask again. What road were you on?

 

In MI, the roads are typically not marked with their designations - class b (non-designated), class a (designated) or special designated. This is the basic breakdown for weight limits:

Class B (non-designated):
Single Axle (no other axle w/in 9 feet) = 18,000
Tandem Axle (two axles w/in 9 feet but at least 3.5 feet apart and no other axle w/in 9 feet) = 13,000
Any axle w/in 9 feet feet of another but at least 3.5 feet away from another and not part of a tandem axle assembly = 13,000
Any axle w/in 3.5 feet of another = 9,000

Class A (designated):
Single Axle (no other axle w/in 9 feet) = 18,000
Tandem Axle (two axles w/in 9 feet but at least 3.5 feet apart and no other axle w/in 9 feet) = 16,000 (1 tandem assembly allowed at 16k, all others must be 13k except in the case of a typical 5 axle tractor-trailer where both tandem assemblies can be at 16k)
Any axle w/in 9 feet feet of another but at least 3.5 feet away from another and not part of a tandem axle assembly = 13,000
Any axle w/in 3.5 feet of another = 9,000

Special designated routes are I/M/US routes and use the federal bridge weights for gross weights of 80,000 or less. If the gross is over 80,000 then the weight limits for a class a - designated road apply.

Source: MCL 257.722

This is the trucker's map put out by the Wayne County, MI Dept of Public Services.

I would assume that you were on 5 Mile, Joy Rd or Beck Rd in that area. If that is the case, when you entered the class b road, there was a sign that said plainly, "Axle Weight Restriction: Single 18,000 / Tandem 26,000" - but those signs are not required.

In the 35th District Court, you will most likely be offered a plea deal of 80% of the fine by the prosecutor. Even the best lawyer would have a hard time getting the fine reduced by much more because the weight limits are clear and you were over them. My advice for the future would to research your routes on local roads before you get there.

In MI, class b roads only allow trailers up to 50' too.

 

Taking fines out of a driver's check is illegal unless a driver signs an agreement . If the driver was routed on that road the company should be liable . Whether the driver ignored obvious signs is also an issue . It's like hitting a low bridge and blaming it on routing .

 

Legal services are good with traffic and weight violations but I'd like to hear from anybody being successful getting CSA points removed using them .
The best service I have seen is http://www.interstatetrucker.com/Default.aspx . You call them as needed . No monthly membership required .

 

I had a county sheriff in Michigan give me a ticket for being on a frost law road ... The ticket was $37,000 ... I had a seven axle roll off trailer and weighed like 116,000 ... The funny things is they took me back to the place I picked up the box to weigh it ... Company paid the ticket because they knew it was gonna be busted if they stopped me, yet they failed to tell me this... it still showed on my license for 3 yrs

 

Just curious, but did you HAVE to deliver close by on that road or not?

In other words, did you HAVE to be on THAT road?

 

It will actually be that 80% of the fine has to be paid. Frost law in Wayne County ended about 2 weeks ago, so you are lucky that this didn't happen then... weight limits were dropped by 35%, so the fine would have increased by about $3600.

 

Good point. Because I'm sure the officer asked you, where are you going. I had to deliver construction equipment to a new school. Gave specific directions to a new driver on how to get 1 block away from drop. Street said no trucks. I had to tell him either sit there or drive down the street because that was the shortest most direct way in. All the streets said no trucks.