AN MD80 CREW PARKING IN DFW COMMENTS ON UNSAFE GND CREW TAXI DIRECTIONS INTO PARKING GATE AND COMPLACENT RAMP VEHICULAR TFC INTERFERENCE.

Narrative

AFTER INCURRING A 10 MIN GATE HOLD OFF GATE; DFW GND CLRED US TO THE RAMP. RAMP TWR CTLR CLRED FLT IN TO PARK. I STOPPED NOSE OF ACFT ABEAM GATE AND ON YELLOW TAXI LINE. NO GUIDE MAN PRESENT AND RAMP TWR CTLR ADVISED. HE REPLIED THAT THEY COULD NOT SEE US AND TO PULL FORWARD (THERE WAS NO ONE THERE TO LOOK FOR US)! I HELD POS SO I COULD SEE THE GATE AREA AND ANY GUIDE IF THEY ARRIVED. SOON A GUIDE MAN APPEARED AND THEN LEFT TO SUMMON WING WALKERS. ONE SHOWED AFTER ANOTHER 2 MINS. THE 2 APPEARED AND THEN LEFT TO SUMMON WING WALKERS. 1 SHOWED AFTER ANOTHER 2 MINS. THE 2 ATTEMPT TO MARSHAL IN THE FLT WITH 1 WALKER SHORT. I ADVISED RAMP TWR CTLR. HE SAID TO 'COMMIT TO THE GATE.' BY NOW THE WING WALKER AND GUIDE MAN ARE WAVING AT ME AND EVERYONE XING THE SVC LANE. I BEGAN TO FOLLOW GUIDE MAN'S SIGNALS AND THEN ABRUPTLY HALTED THE ACFT AFTER A PICK-UP TRUCK CUT ME OFF. SOON TO FOLLOW WERE 2 BAGGAGE TUGS GOING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE RAMP TWR CTLR OF THIS UNSAFE OP AND HIS UNSAFE REQUEST TO GET ME TO ADVANCE TOWARD THE GATE WITHOUT PROPERLY MANNING THE GATE CREW AT NIGHT. AFTER THE NOTIFICATION; A SECOND WING WALKER SLOWLY AMBLED INTO POS AND PARKING WAS COMPLETED. RAMP TWR SUPVR REFUSED TO IDENT THE CTLR INVOLVED WHEN I CALLED THE TWR AFTER PARKING TO GIVE RPT. SHE THEN PASSED ME TO RAMP SUPVR WHO TOOK THE RPT ALSO. WHAT IS MOST DISTURBING IS THAT THE DFW RAMP CTLR ATTEMPTED TO 'PUSH' A CAPT AND FLT TO RESPOND TO AN UNSAFE RAMP MANNING CONDITION AT NIGHT AND AGAINST RAMP/CARGO PROC. THIS CTLR NEEDS RETRAINING. THE GUIDE MAN NEEDS RETRAINING TO NOT MARSHALL A FLT IN TO A GATE WITHOUT HAVING A FULL COMPLEMENT OF WING WALKERS IN PLACE PRIOR TO SIGNALING CAPT TO PROCEED. THE SAFETY OF FLT WAS COMPROMISED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 682515: ONCE ALL 3 GUIDE PERSONNEL WERE IN PLACE; CAPT BEGAN A TURN TOWARD THE GATE. I ASKED CAPT TO STOP THE ACFT TO AVOID A RAPIDLY APCHING PICK-UP TRUCK ON OUR R SIDE; WHICH THE CAPT PROMPTLY DID. THE TRUCK ALSO QUICKLY STOPPED; ONCE THE DRIVER NOTICED OUR ADVANCE TOWARD THE GATE. WE THEN WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE OUR TAXI TO THE GATE WITH NO FURTHER DIFFICULTY. CAPT DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE TURNING AND TAXIING TOWARD A GATE WITHOUT PROPER GUIDANCE FROM GND PERSONNEL; WITH GND VEHICLES RAPIDLY PASSING IN FRONT OF OUR PATH. I FULLY SUPPORT CAPT'S DECISION TO WAIT UNTIL ALL GUIDE PERSONNEL ARE IN PLACE AS PER OPS MANUAL; ESPECIALLY IN A HIGH RISK ENVIRONMENT LIKE THE DFW RAMP AREAS. I UNDERSTAND THE RAMP CTLR'S NEED TO EXPEDITE TFC FLOW; BUT I DO NOT FEEL SAFETY SHOULD BE COMPROMISED.