CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Several gas stations across the Charlotte region received gas deliveries late Friday night and early Saturday morning, just like U.S. Department of Energy officials had promised.

But by Saturday night most of those same stations had already run out of gas.

"We figured everything was getting better," said driver Iris Davis.

Several gas stations managers told Eyewitness News they were expecting more deliveries on Sunday, but with the way things are right now, it's impossible to figure out exact delivery schedules.

On Thursday, city officials promised the gas situation would return to normal by early next week.

"I'm just worried that other people are not going to be able to get gas they'll need to get to work," said Davis.

Tanker Trucks Make Mass Deliveries

Drivers of tanker trucks at Paw Creek said they were loading up to take fuel to Mooresville and Hickory. One driver delivering to Charlotte said it’s often the high-volume stores that get the gas first – the stores with the most customers.

Until the new batch of fuel comes fully down the pipeline, tanker drivers said they may go elsewhere to find gas.

“Once we run out of allocation here, we're going to Charleston and Wilmington and bringing it back this way because they're not serviced off the pipeline, they're serviced right off the ships,” said Ken Kiesznowski, who delivers gas to Wilco-Hess stations.

Kiesznowski picked up nearly 10,000 gallons of fuel from Paw Creek early Friday. He said he’s delivering full loads, just fewer of them for now.

“Normally, say you were allocated to 20 loads of regular a day, well now you're down to four, so we've got to stretch all that out,” he said.

One of his loads Friday went to a station on U.S. 29, and anxious drivers saw him coming.

“I saw the tanker pull in and I pulled in behind him. I wouldn't miss that for anything. I was first,” said Peggy Taylor, who drove into Charlotte from Mint Hill to find gas.

Taylor waited for Kiesznowski to put all the fuel in the ground and then quickly ripped the plastic bag off the gas pump.

Within minutes, cars were lined up down the street.

Kiesznowski said the governor lifted certain restrictions on tanker drivers earlier this month, which means they can carry heavier loads and work longer hours to deliver gas.

“Those lesser restrictions are in effect until early October in an effort to get gas out as quickly as possible,” he said.

Early Friday, AAA Carolinas spokesman Tom Crosby said only one in five Charlotte area stations had gas, but he predicted the situation will continue to improve through the weekend. He said Charlotte had been getting just 30 percent of its regular shipment of fuel, but now the distribution center is getting 50 to 60 percent.

“It appears that we are slowly getting the extra shipments that we need in order to handle this crisis,” he said. “For today, I think it’s still going to be a little bit tight. And I think people who have anything more than a quarter of a tank can wait until tomorrow unless they’re going on a long trip, of course.”

Event Attendance Uncertain During Gas Crunch

Charlotte has a lot of events scheduled for this weekend, but who knows how many people will show up if it means using gas.

Uptown has Charlotte Shout!, a Panthers game and other smaller events. But Eyewitness News found many drivers are picking and choosing their outings more carefully.

One driver said she may even skip a wedding. Lauren Barbieri said, "I have an excuse."

Some Drivers Still Insist On Topping Off Tanks

Officials keep saying don't get gas if you already have plenty, but Eyewitness News found lots of drivers who insist on topping off.

Brandon Faber said, "I want to get a full tank, so I went to one gas station, filled up -- got to the most I could get -- and now I'm going to (another) one so I can top it off."

He said he has a big road trip to Raleigh planned, one he can't give up, and he wants the tank at full capacity.

Faber said, "I need a full tank. I need one. I got a long drive ahead of me for the day."

That doesn't sit well with other drivers.

Sally Underwood said, "This is why we're having this problem that we're having right now, because it's the greed of some people that just can't accept the fact that, you know, they may have to be patient for a day or two to wait for the gasoline to come in."

Most drivers in lines weren't topping off, Eyewitness News found. A crew checked their fuel gauges. They truly needed the gas and said they would have held off longer if they could.