Could be that the McDonalds employee doesn't have the $1,500 to get qualified. For a great many people, that's an amount that seems impossible to save.
If industry was really desperate they would simply offer people training contracts with a buy out clause. I.e. the company pays for the training and the driver (assuming they pass) then has to work for the company for a minimum length of time or buy themselves out. This would surely be a win-win for everyone.