David LaRocque began his career in forestry but quickly pivoted to building a successful contracting business serving northern Ontario’s mining industry.
After finishing school in 2000, LaRocque planned to work as a forestry technician in Ontario. Trained to operate excavators, dozers and other heavy equipment for logging, he soon realized the industry was stagnant at that time.
Encouraged by contacts in the mining sector, LaRocque applied his skills to construction projects supporting mining operations in northeastern Ontario and northwestern Quebec. This led him to start Canadian Exploration Services Limited.
Over the past 25 years, the company has grown into a trusted partner for major metal mines, such as gold mines. LaRocque and his team improve mining roads, build new access routes and handle site preparation, road construction and civil works related to mining.
“We focus on servicing larger, senior mining companies that offer more stable, year-round construction work,” LaRocque explained. “This ensures consistent workloads and long-term partnerships, allowing us to upgrade our fleet with advanced equipment.”
In addition to heavy equipment contracting for mines, the company also undertakes general construction for nearby municipalities. Having a versatile fleet of construction equipment is in LaRocque’s favour and helps keep his workers busy.
Moving forward
Rising competition and pressure on profitability in recent years keeps LaRocque on his toes. Additionally, regulatory challenges, including emission standards, require staying current on emerging technologies, equipment operation and maintenance.
As a small business owner, LaRocque wears many hats throughout the day. Each day begins with a toolbox meeting to review health and safety reminders and make sure everyone understands their tasks.
“I try to visit every job site daily, whenever possible, to make sure everything is moving smoothly,” he said. “I interact with our clients to make sure they’re happy because we try to make sure what we’re doing fits with what our clients want.”
He collaborates with his operations manager to respond promptly to quotes and pursue new business opportunities to keep work moving.
“We get phone calls, emails and website inquiries, and we have to answer them all because somebody else will eat our lunch,” LaRocque said.
From time to time, David climbs into the seat of a machine and puts his operating skills to work.
“You have to be a jack of all trades, as I’m sure many small business owners are today,” he said. “My office is in my truck, though I do have a physical office that I get to see from time to time.”
Managing construction equipment
A mix of compact and heavy construction equipment keeps Canadian Exploration Services on task. With more than 25 pieces of equipment, ranging from compact machines to 30-tonne crawler excavators, the company is well suited to provide complete services supporting the mining industry.
One thing about working around the mines is there isn’t patience for downtime. LaRocque will tell you that if there’s a job to be done, it must be done today.
“The mines are at steady pressure, there’s no room for ‘oh, don’t worry about it, you’ll fix it tomorrow,’” LaRocque said. “We need to be moving.”
The role of telematics for Canadian Exploration Services
Telematics plays a vital role in keeping the equipment fleet operational. It allows LaRocque and his dealer to remotely monitor equipment, diagnose issues early and determine when and how to respond when an issue arises. A service technician might travel two hours from the dealership to get to the machine. Arriving prepared with the correct parts to fix an issue is critical.
“We rely on the technician repairing the machine the first time and minimizing the costs, and telematics makes that possible,” he said.
Beyond repairs, telematics helps improve job site efficiency. The fleet management system allows owners like LaRocque to identify operating trends and where the company can make improvements. For example, they can evaluate a machine’s fuel burn rates and determine whether an operator is excessively idling.
After-sales support is critical to the success of LaRocque’s company.
“Anybody can sell you a piece of equipment, and I’ve been down this road with some dealers I’ve dealt with in 25 years,” he said. “We’ve had very good success with being able to put in a call, a text or an email to our dealer, ReadyQuip, and they have responded.”
Embracing new tech
ReadyQuip in Timmins, Ontario, supports Canadian Exploration Services and regularly shares the latest technology for the construction equipment industry. In 2023, the dealer presented the newest Develon excavator technology to LaRocque’s company: machine-assisted technologies, including 2D grading for precise earthmoving and grading work.
“The machine-assisted technologies convinced us to order the DX225LC-7X,” LaRocque said. “If we’re doing municipal work or trenching at a mine, it’s nice to be able to set the exact depth. It’s really helping the newer operators that don’t have that skillset yet to finesse a machine.”
A virtual wall setting lets operators set invisible boundaries for the arm movement, including limits for how far it can extend or move up and down in tight spaces.
“When we’re working close to a highway or a house, it’s nice to be able to set up the virtual walls, both up and to the side, and let the machine do the work for you,” he said. “You pull back on the stick and it just does it.”
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In addition to the productivity features, the machine’s safety features stand out, including the around view monitor (AVM) camera system and the ultrasonic sensors.
“The safety features are invaluable in terms of working around the labourers, plus setting the machine limits for height and swing,” he said.
Operators using the DX225LC-7X have more control over what they’re lifting with the fine swing feature. When an operator is lifting a pipe and swinging it left or right, the fine swing feature minimizes the shaking of a lifted object that occurs at the end of the swing movement. LaRocque says the technology makes excavator work easier and more polished by providing greater control and accuracy in lifting applications.
“The DX225LC size is versatile to do the small work as well as the big tasks, plus it’s easy to move from jobsite to jobsite,” he said.
Larocque’s journey from forestry to mining support exemplifies the adaptability and innovation needed in a challenging industry. By embracing advanced technologies like machine-assisted excavators and leveraging telematics for efficient fleet management, Canadian Exploration Services has positioned itself as a reliable partner to the mining sector.
