How One Tool Gave a Trucker His Career Back

“With RigCraftor, I know I can still do flatbed work — even if my arms can’t throw the strap anymore. That thing helped me stay in the game longer.” 

– Steve Romero, Owner-Operator

At a glance

• Name: Steve Romero
  

• Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  

• Industry: Trucking (Owner-Operator, Flatbed)
  

• Challenge: Aging made flatbed strap work physically impossible
  

• Solution: Pneumatic Strap Launcher

• Results: Extended career, regained confidence, able to accept flatbed jobs again

The Challenges

For Steve Romero, trucking is more than a career — it’s a lifelong passion. He bought his first truck on Valentine’s Day 1984 and has been hauling ever since. But with decades on the road came new challenges: the physical strain of flatbed work.

Throwing 12-pound straps over loads more than 13 feet high takes strength, accuracy, and repetition. For younger drivers, it’s tough. For older drivers, it can become impossible.

By his early 60s, Steve had to stop accepting flatbed assignments altogether. The straps were too heavy, the loads too tall, and the risk of injury too high. Like many truckers, Steve felt the sting of aging in an industry that often dismisses it. Turning down jobs wasn’t just about lost income — it meant losing part of his identity.

The Solution

Steve found the answer in the RigCraftor Pneumatic Strap Launcher. The industry’s first air-powered tool designed specifically for flatbed truckers, it allows straps to be launched at the push of a button — no climbing, no straining, no risk to shoulders and arms.

“The tying down part has always been the easy part, it’s getting the strap over the tall freight that stops you. With RigCraftor’s pneumatic strap launcher, it just flings it right over.”

The strap launcher gave Steve more than convenience. It restored his confidence to say yes to flatbed work again.

The Results

With RigCraftor, Steve:

• Extended his career — able to keep working flatbed jobs instead of turning them down
  

• Reduced physical strain — no more shoulder or arm pain from throwing straps
  

• Gained confidence — can accept jobs from flatbed dealers he once avoided
  

• Found joy again — “That thing is fun,” he admits with a smile
  
  

For Steve, RigCraftor isn’t just a tool — it’s proof that aging truckers don’t have to be pushed out of the industry. There are solutions that let them stay safe, productive, and proud of the work they’ve done their whole lives.