Driver quit

No, you can't deduct costs of training.

Yes, you have to pay him for the time he worked.

 

You don't pay him after you terminate him, you pay him what he is due for the hours he worked.

If it is third party training, it is an expense that is factored into the operating costs. If it is just having him sit in the truck, nope but the OP mentioned MSHA which I assume is a safety training and our safety training is all third party and deducted.

 

In Canada, there is a probationary period upon hiring. During this period, an employer can fire an employee without notice, and an employee can quit without notice. Once the period is finished, either are required to give notice, unless there is grievous violation of the employment contract on behalf of the employee.

I'm not sure what it's like in the US, but unless you have it on paper that you can deduct those costs from their final pay if they quit before a specific period of time has passed, you are completely SOL.

 

When I was running pools in WI we had to make the lifeguards pay for their certification up front, then we would reimburse each month. This was put in place by the city attorney so that if they quit or were fired we wouldn't be on the hook for the training cost. Any other way we had no recourse- per the attorney.

Also in WI you cannot make deductions that would lower the wage below minimum wage. Given the guy worked for two days, I highly doubt there would be much to collect.