I for the life of me cannot get my head wrapped around this problem

Keep working at it, might take 5, 7 10 pull ups but you'll figure it out, have you had any docks with no painted lines, how would you approach that?

 

If you are off the same way, by about the same amount, every time, I think you are right about the mirror adjustment. I'm doing the same thing in a truck that I just started driving frequently.

 

That dock plate will come down on it even if crooked! Haha but i understand....I'll pull up 5 times for it to be perfect...lol

 

There is an optical illusion going on, is my guess. I've noticed this years ago just never posted anything about it. When you are absolutely dead centered in a parking spot or dock door with painted lines, if you look in left & right side mirrors you should see what look like your left side is angled slightly away from the left line. That is to say your left side of truck will show a gap between the left painted line that isn't consistent from front to back. If you look in your right mirror it will show a consistent spacing between truck side and painted line that is very consistent. The illusion has to do with your left mirrors being closer to your eyes, i believe.

Anyway,if you try to make the left side of truck parallel to the left painted line you will always be angled to the left (driver side). You need to angle slightly right in your left mirror or just look for straightness to your right mirror.

 

What kind of truck?

I have noticed with the WS I have that the mirror is at a slight angle with parallel with the cab and the cab has a very slight curve, which distorts the mirror image.

 

What I find when my guys have trouble getting straight is often the mirrors are set too far in, which makes the optical illusion others have posted about much worse.

The other thing you can do is look at the drive tires/nose of the trailer. And look out the right side more often.

 

This is the correct answer. The mirrors will magnify the effect of perspective. The lines should "appear" to be closer at the back of the trailer than at the cab. Once you get out, you will see that you are perfectly straight

 

For my truck to be square on the dock the trailer has to be angled slightly to the left. Sometimes the dock you are hitting isn't square either, and if you look at other trailers on the dock they will be off by a couple inches. Of course I pull all different trailers, but mine always needs to be to the lift just a few degrees, and I hit some really tight docks.

 

About 5 feet prior to the dock add about a third wheel into the angle then erase it before contact.