AN EMB120 FLC TAXIES TOWARDS THE GATE WITHOUT MONITORING GND CTL AS REQUESTED BY TWR. PIC IS NOT CERTAIN AS TO THE CLRNC LIMIT IN THIS INCIDENT.

Narrative

AFTER COMPLETING A VISUAL APCH AND LNDG TO RWY 29R; I EXITED RWY 29R AT HIGHSPD TXWY L; WE CROSSED RWY 29L AND CONTINUED TO THE GATE ON THE REVERSE OF TXWY L. AT THE INTXN OF TXWY L AND TXWY B; I STOPPED THE ACFT AND TAXI CLRNC TO THE GATE WAS REQUESTED. AS WE HAD EXITED RWY 29R; I UNDERSTOOD THE TWR TO CLR US TO OUR GATE AND TO MONITOR GND. A CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 29L WAS ALSO PART OF THIS CLRNC. AFTER THE 'AFTER LNDG' CHKLIST WAS CALLED FOR AND SUBSEQUENTLY COMPLETED; MY FO STATED THAT WE NEEDED TO CONTACT FRESNO GND. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED MY TAXI AT THE INTXN OF TXWY L AND TXWY B AND THE FO QUERIED FRESNO GND FOR TAXI CLRNC. AT THE END OF THE REQUEST; THE FO ADDED AN APOLOGY. THE REPLY FROM GND WAS A SINGLE 'OKAY' IN A TONE THAT CONVEYED ANNOYANCE. I THEN TOLD THE GND THAT I UNDERSTOOD US TO BE CLRED TO THE GATE AND TO MONITOR THE GND FREQ. A SIMILAR RESPONSE WAS GIVEN TO MY APOLOGY. LATER IN THE EVENING; MY FO AND I DISCUSSED THE EVENTS AND WONDERED IF WE WERE EVER GIVEN A TAXI CLRNC TO OUR GATE BY EITHER TWR OR GND. IT IS COMMON FOR NIGHTTIME OPS TO BE CLRED TO GATES AND MONITOR GND FREQS AFTER CLRING ACTIVE RWYS. IN FACT; THIS IS THE NORM FOR MY EXPERIENCE AT THE FRESNO ARPT. IN EXAMPLE; ONE EVENING WE WERE CLRED BY APCH CTL FOR A VISUAL APCH; LNDG ON RWY 29R; TAXI ACROSS RWY 29L; AND TAXI TO THE GATE ALL ON HIS FREQ AND WHILE STILL SEVERAL MI FROM THE ARPT. I CITE THIS ONLY TO SHOW THAT DIFFERENT TAXI CLRNCS AND LNDG CLRNCS CAN BE ISSUED DEPENDING ON THE CTLRS. ALSO; CLRNC TO THE GATE AND MONITORING OF THE GND FREQ BEING THE MOST COMMON. THE FIRST LESSON HERE IS HOW COMPLACENCY CAN SHOW UP ANYWHERE IN YOUR WORK; NO MATTER HOW VIGILANT AND CAREFUL YOU ATTEMPT TO REMAIN. I HONESTLY THOUGHT I HAD HEARD THE TWR CLRNC AS PREVIOUSLY STATED; AND THAT I WAS DOING EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TOLD TO DO. SECONDLY; READBACKS OF CLRNCS ARE PARAMOUNT; LEGALLY REQUIRED TO THE ISSUING AGENCY OR CTLR; AND SIMPLY GOOD PRACTICE TO REPEAT WHAT YOU HEARD TO YOUR COPLT SO THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THE SAME COURSE OF ACTION. AND THIRDLY; THE LACK OF STANDARDIZATION OF VARIOUS ATC TWRS CAN HELP TO LEAD TO THIS TYPE OF MISUNDERSTANDING. EVEN THOUGH SINGULAR OR DUAL CTLRS OPERATING MULTIPLE FREQS DURING OFF PEAK TIMES IS VERY EFFICIENT AT SOME ARPTS; THE DIFFERENT FORMATS THESE CTLRS USE TO CTL THEIR TFC CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SUCH A SIT WHEN OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ALREADY EXIST.