you did not say how many miles or what year it is. I have replaced many fuel pumps in cars and trucks because of the owners letting the gas get down to empty all the time. First off the little sock or filter screen protects the pump from crud being sucked up into the pump. If you do this a lot of times the sock plugs up. Second is the fuel in the tank helps to keep the pump cool if you let it run down all the time in hot weather the pump over heats. Pumps normally last between 120,00 to 150,000 miles depending on how often they are shut off and turned on. One other thing that messes up pumps is the fuel filter is not changed and flow is reduced putting a strain on the pump.