ACR FLT CREW OBJECTS TO TAXI CLRNC PHRASEOLOGY WHICH ALMOST LED THEM INTO CROSSING AN ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT APPROVAL. ACR THEY WERE FOLLOWING DID CROSS RWY WITHOUT CLRNC. RWY INCURSION. PLT DEVIATION.

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AFTER GATE DEP WE PULLED UP #2 IN THE ALLEYWAY. WE WAITED SEVERAL MINS; LISTENING INTENTLY FOR OUR CALL SIGN AND TAXI CLRNC. IT WAS A VERY BUSY NIGHT AND AS WAS THE NORM; GND CTL WAS ISSUING INITIAL TAXI INSTRUCTIONS IN RAPID FIRE ORDER W/O GIVING THE ACFT A CHANCE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR QUESTION THE INITIAL RECEIPT OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS. AFTER QUITE A WHILE GND ASKED US IF WE WERE #2 AND WE REPLIED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. WE WERE THEN ISSUED THE FOLLOWING CLRNC; 'TAXI TO RWY 14L; FOLLOW YOUR COMPANY.' THE CAPT TAXIED BEHIND THE COMPANY; OUT THE ALLEYWAY AND ACROSS THE 32 BRIDGE. AS THE ACFT WE WERE TO FOLLOW CROSSED THE DEP END OF RWY 14L; THE CAPT COMMENTED THAT HE DID NOT BELIEVE THIS WAS THE CORRECT ROUTE AND THAT THIS WAS THE ACTIVE RWY. THE CAPT BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A STOP SHORT OF RWY 14L DEP END. AT THIS TIME WE NOTED AN ACFT ON DEP ROLL WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY PASSED IN FRONT OF US AT SEVERAL HUNDRED FT. WHEN WE CONTACTED GND TO SORT THINGS OUT; GND WAS STILL VERY BUSY; WE WERE GIVEN SEVERAL FREQ CHANGES. THE CAPT WANTED TO MAKE A RIGHT 270 DEG TURN AND PROCEED DOWN THE RWY 14L/32R PARALLEL; BUT WAS UNSURE OF THE CLRNC BEHIND OUR ACFT. FURTHER CLRNC WAS FINALLY RECEIVED: A RIGHT 270 DEG TURN AROUND AND FURTHER TAXI ACCOMPLISHED W/O FURTHER PROB. THE CAPT COMMENTED THAT IN THE FUTURE HE WOULD NOT ACCEPT A FOLLOW YOUR COMPANY TAXI CLRNC AS YOU DO NOT KNOW THAT THE ACFT YOU ARE FOLLOWING KNOWS WHERE TO GO. I AGREE! SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 95309: THE ACFT WE HAD BEEN FOLLOWING HAD BEEN CLRED TO CROSS RWY 9L AND 22R; BUT HE HAD LOST TRACK IN THE DARK AND CROSSED THE WRONG RWY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 95307: IN THE FUTURE I WILL NOT ACCEPT A 'FOLLOW YOUR COMPANY' TAXI CLRNC; AS YOU CANNOT BE CERTAIN THAT THE ACFT IN FRONT OF YOU IS TAKING THE CORRECT PATH TO THE RWY. I DOUBT THAT 'FOLLOW YOUR COMPANY' IS A LEGAL CLRNC.