Short answer: Count every mile, not only gas. Your monthly cost is the miles to work and to class, times what each mile costs you in fuel and wear, plus parking and tolls. A site across town can double your drive, so run the numbers for a far site as well as a near one. For comparison, the IRS business mileage rate is 72.5 cents per mile from January through June 2026 and 76 cents from July through December. That is a business-use rate, not your actual commuting cost or a deduction you can automatically claim.
Starting your first year as a Texas apprentice? The US$19 Texas First-Year Electrical Apprentice Kit gives you printable pages for the first months on the job: a tool-check card, a who-to-ask list with a short stop-and-ask script, emergency-contact and heat-and-rest cards, plus a Tool budget sheet and a Tool inventory sheet (CSV).
Log your Texas Journeyman hours free. A free Tsai Electro account keeps your supervised hours, your online practice scores and your exam date in one place. Start with a five-question check to see which topic to practice next.
Tsai Electro is an independent learning site. Not affiliated with the IRS, TDLR or any apprenticeship program. This is a planning estimate, not tax advice.
Monthly driving cost calculator
Driving cost calculator
Enter one job site at a time. Run it again for a far site to see your range. The defaults are only an example.
- Miles one way to the job site
- Workdays per month
- Extra miles per class night (site to class to home, minus the normal drive home)
- Class nights per month
- Your car’s miles per gallon
- Gas price per gallon
- Maintenance and tires per mile (your estimate)
- Parking and tolls per workday
What goes into a mile
| Cost | Where to find your number |
|---|---|
| Gas | Your car’s miles per gallon and the pump price near your sites |
| Maintenance and tires | Oil changes, tires and brakes spread over the miles they last |
| Parking | Downtown and hospital sites may charge; ask where crews park |
| Tolls | Check the route to each new site before the first day |
| Class nights | The drive from the site to class, on top of the normal drive home |
Ways to bring the cost down
- Share rides with a coworker who lives near you, and split gas.
- Ask where crews meet. Some crews meet at a shop or a set point; ask your employer how it works.
- Check the toll-free route before a new site starts, and compare time and cost.
- Keep up basic maintenance. A breakdown costs more than an oil change and can cost you a day of work.
Put your monthly driving cost into the take-home pay check as one of your bills, and see a reliable commute to changing job sites for backup plans.
Choosing between programs in different areas? The Texas Electrical Apprenticeship Entry Kit does not calculate driving costs; it helps you get in. It lists 13 Texas apprenticeship programs checked on their own websites and has 1,366 math and 288 reading aptitude-test questions with worked answers, 8 timed simulations, 20 interview questions with a weak and a strong answer for each, an 8-question mock interview and a 7-day start plan. Launch price US$49 through November 30, 2026, one payment, instant download.
How much does it cost to drive to job sites as an apprentice?
It depends on your miles, car and gas prices. Enter your own numbers in the calculator above, and run it for a near and a far site.
What is the IRS mileage rate for 2026?
For business use, 72.5 cents a mile from January 1 to June 30, 2026, and 76 cents a mile from July 1 to December 31, 2026. The IRS publishes it as a standard rate for reimbursing or deducting business miles. It is not an estimate of what your own miles cost, and it does not mean your commute is deductible.
Can I deduct my commute to work?
Ask a tax professional about your situation. This page does not give tax advice.
