2003 Chevy truck fuil guage problem?

Hi... I have a 2003 chevy 2500HD pickup truck.... Last night it completely stopped.... The fuel gauge showed it was half full, no warning light or low fuel buzzer light ever showed.... At first I thought it was some complicated electrical problem.... but my instincts said that I'd swear I'm out of gas.... I filled up a jug and put in 5 gallons... after about 15 try's, the motor very slowly started to run smoother and smoother... after about 10 minuets, it ran perfectly and I was able to make it home..... Does anyone know of any problems with either the sending unit or any other problems [ maybe in the instrument cluster ] that may have caused this false reading ? thanks