Eaton ultrashift 13 speed questions

I've been put in a loaner truck from Penske and it's a Freighliner Cascadia with a 500hp Detroit and 13 speed ultrashift with about 290k on the clock. I've got some miles and years under my belt and I have driven 8, 10, 13 & 18 speed manuals, but this is the first time that I have driven an automatic since my time in the Army back in the mid to late 90's, and thus far I am not too impressed and I am hoping to get some pointers on a couple of persistent problems.

First, backing into a door without hitting it at Mach 2. I try to ease it in there, but if I slow down too much the brake engages and I'm sitting still. So, I try to gently feather the throttle and go in there nice and slow but I end up wheel hopping almost like I'm cruising in my '64 on the streets of Compton, blocking traffic and looking like a rookie again. Some drivers I've spoken to have said that they use the 2 foot method and I'm going to try that, but it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks sometimes.

The second is the shift points don't seem to make sense. It will be at a nice RPM pulling a hill then it decides to upshift and I lose all my momentum and so I override it and downshift to regain what I lost but by then it's usually too late. I've begun to just use the auto feature when starting or stopping and while on cruise control, and this remedies the problem a little bit, but I didn't think that I'd have to manually operate an automatic so much. Also, going downhill it will upshift, so it can optimize fuel economy, but then the Jake engages and it downshifts, then it has a bipolar attack and can't decide what gear it wants and will bounce between the two.

Climbing hills may be due to Penske having this truck turned down so much, or it could be the gear ratio, because I'd hate to think this 500hp motor was so gutless. When I'm under load pulling a hill I'm lucky to be in 5th gear and going an astonishing 20mph.

Anyway, that's my rant. Hopefully will be back in my truck soon, but in the meantime thanks for the advice.

 

Thanks man. Although it's not a surprise it is still disappointing. Things will work out as they always do and until then I'll be roaming the northeast in this nutless turd.

 

I doubt that it is. With this being a Penske loaner truck I bet it's turned down quite a bit.