Stratus: The competitive edge for highway cleaning contracts

Highways are the lifelines of any country’s economy, connecting cities, ports, industrial hubs, and rural regions across vast distances. With increasing traffic volumes and rapid infrastructure growth, routine and reliable highway maintenance is critical. Not just for mobility but for saving lives and protecting national wealth.

In India, thousands of lives are lost every year due to road accidents linked to poor surface conditions, debris, and inadequate maintenance. This makes highway maintenance a safety responsibility, not just a cleaning task.

But maintaining highways isn’t easy. Contractors face tight timelines, strict compliance from NHAI, and the constant pressure to reduce downtime and increase efficiency. With growing emphasis on mechanical sweeping in NHAI contracts, having the right road sweeper in the fleet is no longer optional; it’s critical.

What highway cleaning needs is a road sweeper that gives a competitive advantage. That helps you win tenders, avoid penalties, and build a reputation for efficient and reliable delivery

Critical gaps in highway sweeping contracts

Operational efficiency

Highways pass through urban zones, rural areas, hilly terrain, and narrow service lanes, creating inaccessible or mixed debris and terrain conditions. Standard large sweepers can’t operate efficiently in tight or uneven stretches.

Labor dependency and workforce management is often unreliable, seasonally unavailable, or prone to high attrition.

Machine uptime

Rising fuel, maintenance & operational costs impact margins and timelines. Many highway contractors underestimate ongoing costs. For example, older machines or underpowered sweepers need frequent repairs.

Inconsistent OEM/vendor support is a major issue. Low-cost machines often lack AMCs and spares, while imported machines suffer from delayed parts and limited local service

Compliance readiness

Non-compliance penalties with MORTH and NHAI. Contracts can be on performance-based
activities and contractors are required to maintain and present comprehensive documentation

Strict performance metrics
and service Level
Agreements (SLAs) for cleanliness, upkeep, and operational readiness increase the pressure to perform consistently.

Navigating these challenges requires more than just manpower, it demands reliable equipment, smart planning, and partners who understand on-ground realities. For highway contractors, success depends on operational efficiency, compliance readiness, and machine uptime. Choosing the right sweeping solution isn’t just about cleaning roads, it’s about ensuring performance, profitability, and peace of mind.

How stratus bridges the gaps

Wide coverage, fast turnaround

Stratus offers a sweeping width of 2.4 meters and a vacuum width of 1.7 meters, covering ~1 acre in 10 minutes. Ideal for long highway stretches, it reduces cleaning time significantly over manual or underpowered methods.

Handles all debris, any weather

From fine silt and highway dust to wet leaves, wrappers, and even small stones, Stratus performs reliably across seasons and surfaces – dry summers, post-rain debris, or even after construction or festival activity.

Tight Mmaneuvering for toll plazas, ramps & interchanges

With a turning radius like a sedan and reverse sweeping mode, Stratus navigates through toll booths, underpasses, and loops without needing special maneuvering space.

Engineered in US, made in India

Designed in the US and manufactured in India, Stratus uses globally trusted components like Mitsubishi, Eaton, Parker, and Donaldson. Its premium stainless steel hopper comes with a lifetime warranty, built to resist corrosion in dust-heavy and coastal highway conditions.

Easy access, faster maintenance

Stratus is built for field servicing, minimizing downtime with every design detail.
1-button grill drop-down for quick cleaning access. Ground-level maintenance points for filters and checkpoints. Tilt-and-dump hopper with 50° tilt wide-opening doors for fast, safe unloading.

Minimal downtime with maximum support

Stratus comes with a full ecosystem to keep your machine running. Pan-India service network with trained technicians. Curated spare part kits provided with every machine. Custom AMC packages and multi-year warranties for predictable costs. Spruce Up Parts Shop: 24-hour dispatch of 30+ critical parts. Spruce Up Genie: Remote diagnostics and real-time video support

Spruce Up Air BlasterTM technology

Effective in removing fine dust, sand, and particulate matter (PM10). It is better than mechanical sweepers. With very low dust emissions and efficient water usage. It prevents dust clouds from forming, helping meet MORTH and Pollution Control Board regulations.

Full-spectrum cleaning capability

With a built-in high-pressure washer, storm drain cleaner, and heavy-duty litter picker, Stratus handles all types of cleaning scenarios (dust/silt/thrash/plastic/rubbish/garbage/waste) by mechanical means. This reduces manual labor dependency and ensures compliance with mechanized cleaning mandates (IRC:SP:124-2019, Item No.1.9).

Helps you stay audit-ready

Stratus helps in NHAI and MORTH’s inspection-based contract model. With in support for route tracking, activity logging, and more. Each unit is provided with curated spare part kits, GPS and camera compatibility, and operator training programs. This ensures your operations remain compliant and auditable.

Stratus is built for long stretches, tight schedules, strict compliance, and unpredictable terrain. With high- performance engineering, full-spectrum functionality, and end-to-end support.
Brought to you by the makers of Jatayu machines, which are trusted across Indian cities for their durability and service support. Stratus brings the same proven engineering to highways. It helps deliver cleaner roads, reliable performance, and ease of operation. Every single day.