Large Transport
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Situational Awareness; Time Pressure; Workload
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Ground Conflict; Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown
Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Company Policy; Procedure; Environment - Non Weather Related
Taxiing out during a departing bank at DFW; extremely busy with severe frequency and taxiway congestion. We were stationary at Spot XX at Taxiway K waiting for Ground Control to call with taxi instructions. Ground instructed us to turn right on K and follow the 'Runway 36 bridge' standard taxi route; and that an aircraft southbound on Taxiway K to our left would turn into Spot XY. I started rolling forward to turn right onto K; and both the First Officer and I cleared to the left as we approached K. We saw an aircraft approaching at a speed which I judged to be well over 20 and probably close to 30 knots; approximately 100 yards away. We both said something to the effect that he wasn't going to make the turn into Spot XY; so I stopped short of K. The First Officer queried Ground Control about the identity of the aircraft we were supposed to turn in front of; and Ground spoke to the flight and asked if they were turning into Spot XY. All this took maybe 20 seconds; and the aircraft suddenly slowed dramatically and turned into XY.Once I was certain that the aircraft turned; I turned right on K and followed the '36R Bridge' route. Shortly afterwards the Ground Controller came on frequency and scolded us with words along the lines of 'when I tell you guys to taxi; I want you to taxi immediately and not waste my time; etc.' I took over the comms and replied that I wasn't about to turn in front of an aircraft travelling at high speed on a taxiway; to which the controller said 'that's why I confirmed with them that they are turning'. I told him that I was responsible for the safety of the flight; and that I did what I thought was prudent under the circumstances. A pointless back-and-forth; and we continued the taxi and switched over to the west Ground and Tower for takeoff.There were three aircraft at the threshold of Runway 36R waiting to takeoff. We were cleared to line up and wait; and sat in position for maybe 20 seconds. The controller then told a different aircraft; which was just off to our right behind the hold line; 'cleared for takeoff'. We both immediately caught the error and the First Officer queried the controller. The other crew also said something; stating that they were not on the runway. After getting the callsigns straight; the controller cleared us for takeoff and we continued on our way without any further complications.Cause: 'Pilot pushing'.More broadly speaking; pushing the boundaries of safety by trying to rush; rush; rush. I fly into and out of DFW regularly and have noticed for a long time the aggressive attitude of the Ground Controllers when speaking to aircraft. They constantly scold and verbally abuse aircraft that don't taxi fast enough; react quick enough; or don't instantly understand the local vernacular regarding taxiing on DFW airport. In the past I had sometimes chuckled about it; but still regarded it as uncalled for. Not to mention; it causes even more frequency congestion on an already overloaded ground freq. The current and ongoing construction on Taxiway L that seriously complicate taxiing operations on the east side of the airport does not help either.While I have sympathy for the high-stress job they do; and understand that pilots have to pay attention; this interaction with the ground controller annoyed me and highlighted the safety risks created by the controllers 'pushing' to squeeze one more aircraft onto a taxiway or save 15 seconds or whatever.My action in stopping my aircraft until we were sure that the aircraft coming towards us at a high taxi speed (I judged it to be close to or over 30 knots) was in fact turning into the ramp was a basic safety precaution; which is the definition of my job as Captain. The First Officer and I both thought that the aircraft was travelling at too high a speed to make the very tight turn into Spot XY.My secondary concern was; despite the controller 'confirming' with the crew of the aircraft that they were in fact turning;the possibility of mistaken identity and that another aircraft on the taxiway was in fact the one the controller thought he was talking to.This was justified a few minutes later; when the Tower Controller for Runway 36R confused not only a Boeing and an Airbus; but one behind the hold line and one in position for takeoff on the runway.I had and have zero doubts that my action in stopping until it was clear that the aircraft on the taxiway was in fact turning; and not pulling out in front of him; was the correct and safe thing to do.As mentioned; this event occurred because of the constant intense rushing and pushing by the Ground Controllers at DFW; compounded by the single taxiway situation on the east side. It is a high-risk environment and we all understand the need for vigilance and accurate responses and actions; but the random aggressive scolding and criticizing of crews is uncalled for.I was not in the least offended by the exchange with the controller that day. Neither am I pointing fingers at the individual; or trying to get him in trouble. He has a high-intensity job to do just like me; but the difference is that I; as the Captain; has final responsibility for the safety of the aircraft and passengers. 'The controller said so and so' would not be a valid defense at a NTSB or FAA hearing.My only concern was safety. I did the safe and prudent thing which was clearly justified a few minutes afterwards; and I don't need to listen to a controller's rant because I did so. Slowing down operations at DFW is impossible; impractical and counterproductive; so that is not an option.Short of that; the ground controllers should realize and remember that aircraft sometimes don't respond instantly for various reasons; and that scolding a professional airline crew on the radio for all to hear is churlish behavior and contrary to Safety. In this case; our slightly delayed taxi was for a clear safety reason; and getting yelled at for that is unacceptable.We all have to be hyper-vigilant and not forget priority one is safety.
A pilot reported a Ground Controller scolded him on frequency for not complying with their taxi instructions in an expeditious manner.