AN ACR LGT CREW MISSED THE TURN AFTER TKOF THAT WAS LISTED ON THEIR PDC. CLRNC DELIVERY DID NOT VERIFY THAT THE CREW HAD THE EXPECTED TURN HDG.

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ATC IFR ENRTE CLRNC WAS OBTAINED BY THE FE AND GIVEN TO THE COPLT. THE ENRTE CLRNC TO ORD CALLED FOR THE LGA 4 DEP. THE LGA 4 DEP AND SUPPLEMENTAL ACR PAGES WERE REVIEWED AND DISCUSSED WITH THE FLC WITH PARTICULAR ATTN GIVEN PAID TO THE DEP INSTRUCTIONS. IT WAS NOTED THAT THERE WAS NOT A STATED HDG ASSIGNMENT ON THE LGA 4 DEP FOR THIS RWY ONLY. LACKING THIS INFO; I ANTICIPATED RECEIVING A HDG ASSIGNMENT FROM TWR OR DEP AT TKOF TIME; AS IS STANDARD PROC AT MOST ARPTS AND AS SPECIFIED IN THE ATC HANDBOOK 7110.65; SECTION 3; PAGE 4-5; ITEM 4-21. TKOF FROM RWY 31 AT LGA WAS UNEVENTFUL; WITH A FREQ CHANGE GIVEN US AT APPROX 1200 FT AFTER TKOF. OUR TKOF CLRNC HOWEVER; DID NOT INCLUDE A SPECIFIC HDG TO BE FLOWN (VERBAL CLRNC). UPON CONTACTING LGA DEP CTL (FREQ 120.4 AT PM41) WE WERE ASKED BY THE CTLR WHAT HDG WE WERE ASSIGNED BY TWR. THE FO RESPONDED THAT TWR DID NOT GIVE US A HDG AND THAT WE WERE ON RWY HDG. THE DEP CTLR THEN GAVE US A R TURN TO HDG 360 DEGS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; THE CTLR ASKED IF A TURN ASSIGNMENT WAS INCLUDED IN THE ACARS ATC CLRNC WE HAD RECEIVED FROM 'TWR.' WE THEN NOTED THAT THERE WAS A NOTATION IN THE ACARS CLRNC WHICH SPECIFIED 'RWY 31 TURN R HDG 360.' IN OUR HASTE; THIS NOTE HAD BEEN OVERLOOKED. THE FO STATED THAT HE HAD READ THIS BUT FORGOT ABOUT IT. THE ACARS CLRNC PRINTOUT HAD BEEN RETAINED BY THE FO ON THE FORWARD R CONSOLE AND I HAD SOLICITED ONLY VERBAL CONFIRMATION OF OUR CLRNC. THIS NOTE WAS NOT MENTIONED BY THE FO DURING THE VERBAL CONFIRMATION. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL MAKE CERTAIN THAT I PERSONALLY READ THE ACARS MESSAGE. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE INITIAL HDG AFTER TKOF BE VERBALLY SPECIFIED BY THE TWR CTLR AS PART OF THE TKOF CLRNC FOR EVERY TKOF WHEN A DEFINITE HDG IS NOT SPECIFIED AS PART OF THE PUBLISHED SID AS SPECIFIED IN THE ATC CTLR'S HANDBOOK. THIS INCLUDES SITS WHERE THE IFR ENRTE CLRNC WAS RECEIVED VIA ACARS. A DEFINITE HDG SHOULD BE PART OF THE LGA 4 DEP FOR RWY 31. ALL OTHER RWYS SPECIFY A DEFINITE HDG. THIS WILL ASSIST MEASURABLY THE PRE-DEP FLC PLANNING AND BRIEFING FOR THE DEP AND PREVENT A RECURRENCE OF THE SIT CONTAINED HEREIN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS A LINE CHK AIRMAN FOR THE AIRLINE. HE WILL MENTION TO HIS COMPANY'S FAA LIAISON OFFICE THE FACT THAT THERE IS LITTLE STANDARDIZATION IN THE FORMAT OF THE PRE- DEP CLRNC (PDC) OUTPUT FROM ARPT; AND SUGGEST TO THE TRAINING DEPT THAT CREW PERSONS MUST BE MORE CAREFUL IN THEIR USE OF AND READING OF THE PDC. HE WILL ALSO COUNSEL HIS FUTURE FO'S NOT TO HIDE THIS VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF PAPER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COCKPIT. THE FAA HAS NOT CONTACTED HIM ON THIS INCIDENT; AND PROBABLY WILL NOT AT THIS LATE DATE. THE DEP CTLR WAS UPSET WITH THE RPTR; BUT REALIZES THAT THE PLTS ARE EXPECTING THE TWR TO GIVE A HDG ALONG WITH THE TKOF CLRNC.