Date: 202107
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Aircraft: B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Taxi
ATC / advisory: Ground ZZZ; Tower ZZZ
Second aircraft: Medium Transport
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown; Workload
Second reporter function: First Officer; Pilot Not Flying
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Ground Conflict; Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Ground Incursion Taxiway
When detected: Taxi
Result: Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Contributing factors: Airport; Human Factors; Procedure
Primary problem: Procedure

Narrative: During landing roll out; using max autobrake; transfer of control; stowing the thrust reversers; at a relatively high speed; Tower issued taxi instruction of turn left on Taxiway 1 hold short of Taxiway 2. As I was concentrating on flying the airplane (decelerating on landing rolling out) I only heard Left on 1 and 2. As I vacated the runway on Taxiway 1 Ground called us but was stepped on and was unreadable. When vacating taxiway 1 and clearing the hold short line for the runway there is barely room to even hold short of taxiway 2 thus; I never expected for that to even be a possibility. I taxied out onto taxiway 2 and then saw Aircraft Y under tow on taxiway 2. He was far away and there was no threat of a collision but there was a conflict now on 2. Ground advised us we were supposed to hold short of 2; sounded annoyed; and then told the Aircraft Y tow crew to pull into the run-up area which they did and told us to continue which we did with no further complications. Receiving taxi instructions during a landing roll out while a pilot is still 'flying' the jet and concentrating is definitely a threat I will address moving forward in my briefings.


Second narrative: Daytime/VMC arrival into ZZZ.  Normal landing/rollout; aircraft decelerating brakes MAX; Tower issued clearance to exit via Taxiway 1; hold short Taxiway 2; contact Ground.  Clearance heard/understood/read back accurately by First Officer; misheard/misunderstood by Captain as 'exit Taxiway 1; Taxiway 2; contact Ground.'  First Officer unaware of misunderstanding.  Clearing runway; VHF 1 switched to Ground.  Ground transmission blocked by simultaneous transmission of third aircraft; essentially unreadable to First Officer.  Captain still exiting left on 1; continued left turn onto 2.  First Officer assumed transmission heard/understood sufficiently by Captain to continue taxi.  Turning onto 2; CA noted Aircraft Y under tow opposite direction on Taxiway 2; stopped aircraft well short of conflict.  Reprimanded by ground for failing to hold short Taxiway 2.  Tow crew directed to turn into holding pad; allow Aircraft Y to pass.  Conflict resolved; ground directed taxi to parking via 2.Breakdown in CRM/communication/First Officer verification.  Contributing factors included:  ATC taxi instructions issued during high workload period (short field landing; brakes MAX; transfer of controls).  Minimal length of Taxiway 2 resulted in a) limited area to clear runway and still hold short taxiway A; and b) insufficient time to query ground regarding blocked transmission and/or verify with Captain understood taxi instructions.


Synopsis: Air carrier flight crew reported a taxiway incursion and ground conflict resulted from receiving ATC taxi instructions during a high workload landing roll and not being able to clarify with Ground Control.