Not always, the Ram has a problem of intermittent fuel pump hesitation when it first starts to go out. Could jsut be the start of the fuel pump going bad. You can buy or rent a fuel pressure gauge that you can attach to the fuel rail (your 96 is fuel injected I assume). You can then test it several times to see if you get consistent pressure.
It could also be a clogged pre-screen on the fuel pump itself in side the tank.