transmission or fuel pump??

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I have my beloved 1996 chevy k1500 with 230,000 miles on it. Iv put way more money into it then it will ever be worth but it was my first car and I love working on it. however latley I have been haveing a issue that im not sure about which way to go and I’m hoping for some help and guidence.

I was driving through town today with it on cruise control at about 30 mph. and the truck started to shake a little not left to right but kind of like it was running out of gas or intermittently getting power.

I have two suspects

the fuel pump:
latly I have noticed that the fuel pump is getting loud. I just replaced it maybe 20,000 miles ago IF that. and I know these trucks are kind of hard on fuel pumps from what I have heard. plus the new pump came from a parts store where I have gotten several other parts that have prematurely failed or were wrong all together. I have also replaced the fuel filter, fuel regulator, and injectors not 5,000 miles ago (not from said parts store) I have a fuel pressure gauge and will see if its in spec when I get it back from getting some exhaust work done. (thats where I was headed when it started)

the transmission slipping:
about two weeks ago I checked my transmission fluid and found a really light black powder on the dipstick. upon further inspection it was only on the stick not suspended in the fluid. the fluid also did not smell burnt or look bad. I have checked it several times after that and the fluid looked fine with no black powder. I hadnt checked the fluid in quite a while before I found that so I wonder if it just built up a little over time? either way I plan on dropping the pan and taking a look at the inside and see what it tells me soon. the transmission feels strong and breaks the tires free without any problems.

what do you guys think? anything I should take a look at or think about?

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[college man]

I don’t believe cruising at 30 mph would cause the engine to sputter or run bad from the trans.
usually would would have shifting problems/slipping which usually does not affect the engine other
than rpm up or down. I would check fuel pressure or related performance issue things. more in this link.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-performance-issues

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