Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Type 2821
Training / Qualification; Communication Breakdown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors
Approximately 4 minutes before scheduled departure; with the doors closed and Jet Bridge pulled; the tug driver called me via the interphone and told me that 'Operations is requesting that [you] release the parking brake.' I asked him why Operations requested that. He seemed very confused and I could hear him talking to someone else and telling that other individual that the Captain was asking him why. He repeated his request that Operations was requesting that I release the parking brake. Again; I asked him why. He had no information. I then told him that per SOP; we are not allowed to release the parking brake until we receive a pushback clearance. He handed the headset to someone who he claimed was the Ramp Supervisor. The ramp supervisor then repeated the same statement; that 'Operations is asking you to release the parking brake.' Yet again; I asked this person the same question; 'WHY?' He finally told me that they were trying to get the on-time departure. I reminded him that their request was a violation of SOP and that he was wasting time and putting an actual on-time departure in jeopardy. He then started mumbling and I was unable to understand anything he said. He eventually gave the headset back to the pushback driver.  During the pushback; it was clear that the driver was unfamiliar with our callouts and SOPs. He never cleared me to start engines. I had to ask him as he was starting to disconnect his headset if we were cleared to start.  I am sure that this [safety report] will come as no surprise to you. I have been flying in and out of ATL for three years on the 737. The outsourced ramp is so outrageously incompetent that it boggles this Captain's mind as to how it is allowed to continue. I have filed more [safety reports] on incompetence and lack of SOP at ATL than any other topic. Today's incident was just another in a long line of buffoonery from ATL outsourced ramp. I find it hard to believe that even the Ramp Supervisor attempted to blatantly violate our SOPs and seemed confused when I pointed that out to him. After three years of writing [safety reports]; it is clear to me that [Company] does not care enough to do anything about the incompetence in ATL. At least you will have a nice stack of [safety reports] for when someone is finally hurt or God forbid killed by their malfeasance.I spoke with the employees in Operations about the ramp. They told me that they are well aware of the incompetence and that they do not train the outsourced ramp crew. They did not know who is responsible for training and SOP compliance in ATL.
B737 Captain reported numerous deviations from SOP by outsourced ramp employees at ATL.