Fighting an overweight ticket

Let me say first, I UNDERSTAND THAT ULTIMATELY IT IS THE DRIVERS RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE WE ARE NOT OVERWEIGHT. However, it is impractical to think that we will weigh ourselves every time we pull out of a shipper. We only do this if anything has led us to believe we may be overweight. In this instance, we thought we were carrying around 6000lbs(this is a box truck with a capacity of 8800lb). Everything on the BOL matched what was loaded, and the shipper told us that the weight is calculated by the computer based on what is put on the shipping manifest. We had no reason to suspect anything. At the weigh station, we were calculated to be about 11000, 2200 over what we could legally carry. The officer took our plate off of the truck and said we had to get a complete new one, then return to that weigh station within 48hrs with it or face another ticket(or hire a tow). We immediately go to get another plate and were told we could not get another 26000 plate, even though our truck could not carry over that. We were MADE to get one for 33000. Fast forward a month and we get pulled over for having a 33k plate without a IFTA sticker. We try to explain to the officer we don't qualify for IFTA because our truck doesn't carry that much weigh, but of course he says our plate says otherwise. So now we are sitting with 2 violations on our record, which is costing us in tickets and brokers not wanting to work with us.

I just feel like this is a big consequence for us, a small one truck company, for the mistake and probably intentional overloading from a shipper. Is there anything that can be done? We still have our day in court and if we can get it thrown out, can we also get it off our safer record?

 

Our GVWR is 26k, that is why I say we cannot go over that. I found out we can get new plates for 26k again, so we should have the correct plates and no longer require IFTA by the time we get to court. I understand ignorance is not a defense, but we thought we had a good understanding of the rules, in fact we are pretty diligent about it, or so we thought. We knew our 26k truck did not qualify for IFTA, so why would we think anything otherwise, esp when that was the only plate the SOS offered us at the time of purchase.

 

We primarily stay in MI but were crossing into OH that day.
Yes, most people we speak with say they've never heard of that either.

 

No, he has no CDL and this is a non CDL truck. The broker we were running for sent another truck to offload us, but they took the plate anyway. He had a friend go pick him up, he was only a few hours from home, and drive him back the next day with the new plate. We are in the process of fighting the fine now, as the officer who inspected us said it was worth a try with the judge in that particular county.

 

I don't think so but I will def look.
Michigan