ACR MLG PUSHED BACK AND TAXIED WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION FROM THE TWR.

Narrative

PRIOR TO PUSHBACK AT SFO; I REVIEWED THE COMPANY BRIEFING PAGE IN THE COMMERCIAL MANUAL. WE THOUGHT IT TO SAY THAT WE ONLY CALLED 131.57 (COMPANY) FOR PUSH CLRNC OUT OF THE THROAT AREA; THEN CALLED GND ABEAM GATE 14 OUTBOUND. WHAT I DIDN'T REALIZE; WAS THAT THE GATE THAT WE WERE PARKED AT; A1; WAS EAST OF GATE 14; AND THAT WE WOULD TAXI IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM GATE 14. AS WE COMPLETED OUR PUSH-BACK TO THE ENTRANCE TO THE THROAT AREA NEAR GATE 14; GND CTL CALLED US; AND WAS UPSET THAT WE PUSHED WITHOUT A CLRNC. WE THOUGHT THAT WE HAD OBTAINED A CLRNC FROM COMPANY; AND WE ABOUT TO CONTACT GND. BEING RELATIVELY 'UNFAMILIAR' WITH THE SFO ARPT; AND THE 'LOCAL' WAY OF DOING THINGS; PUT US AT A DISADVANTAGE; AND IN A POSITION OF BEING 'SET-UP'. WE LATER; OBTAINED A COMPLETE BRIEFING FROM PLTS VERY FAMILIAR WITH SFO GND PROC. THE PROBLEM AS I SEE IT; NOT ONLY AT SFO; BUT ALL ARPTS; IS THE LACK OF STANDARDIZED GND MOVEMENT PROCEDURE FOR ACFT. NOT ONLY THAT; MANY OF THESE VARIOUS PROCEDURES ARE NOT WRITTEN DOWN ON PAPER IN PLT CHARTS OR PUBLICATIONS; FOR PLT REFERENCE. FOR EXAMPLE; AT LGA; WE CALL ANOTHER ACR GATE CTL TO PUSHBACK; BUT GND CTL ALSO WANTS AN ADVISORY CALL. A SMALL BLUE SIGN ON THE WALL OF THE TERMINAL ADVISES OF THE NEED TO 'CALL GND 121.7'. IN BWI; GND CTL DOESN'T WANT A CALL PRIOR TO PUSH; FROM CERTAIN GATES; BUT WHICH GATES??? AT SOME ARPTS; YOU MONITOR GATE CTL; OR CLRNC DELIVERY; BEFORE GOING TO GND. AT LEAST PUT THE PROCEDURE IN BOTH TEXT FORM AND GRAPHIC FORM BY PUTTING FREQS IN AREAS OF ARPT DIAGRAMS; INDICATING WHO IS CTLING THAT MOVEMENT AREA. PLTS SHOULD HAVE CLEAR AND CONCISE INFORMATION ON ACFT MOVEMENT PROCEDURES ON THE GND TOO! PLEASE HELP ADDRESS THIS NEED!