They kind of line up like crazy buggers.
This also affects CTC, making them stuck sometimes. [link to related Bug]

This is actually normal behavior. They line up and take turns docking instead of bum rushing the docking bay like players do.

It is kinda annoying when your trying to land 200u of gatling...er I mean helio

So go in at an angle and shove 'em out of the way if they get too close? That's what I did the other day, though I wasn't carrying anything quite as heavy as gats.

Or, if you are a more polite sort of fellow, you could just get in line at the end and wait your turn.

I usually sit just under the dock and slide up in between 2 of the NPCs. If they bump you too hard (or vice versa) you start getting warnings about being "under protection" and not.

NPC's lining up to dock is AWESOME! Gives a feeling there are "standard docking procedures" in the VO-verse.

Dent.