A strapping machine configured for and method for actuating the belt drive mechanism of a strapping machine during a loss of band carrying out the following steps: (1) polling the detector as to a proper shooting of the strapping band in the shooting direction up until the end of the shooting trajectory, and (2) for an improper shooting of the strapping band, activating the shooting and retrieval unit to retrieve the strapping band with a definite retrieval speed for a defined retrieval time so that the strapping band emerges from the shooting and retrieval unit opposite the shooting direction, and (3) actuating the drive of the back-tensioning unit so that the back-tensioning unit transports the strapping band back into the shooting and retrieval unit in the shooting direction.