PennDOT orders thousands of drivers to retake road test after internal investigation

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Thousands of newly licensed drivers in Pennsylvania have been told they must retake their road test or risk losing their driving privileges, after PennDOT determined that some exams were not properly administered.

Drivers began receiving letters early this year warning that, without a new test, they would have to start over with a learner's permit and repeat both the skills and knowledge exams.

The agency has been working to retest roughly 2,500 affected motorists.

On a recent Monday, the PennDOT Driving Center on the 900 block of Levick Street in Philadelphia - typically closed that day - was open as staff worked to move drivers through the process.

Kayshine Hardaway of West Philadelphia was among those notified.

She said she passed her driving exam more than a year ago, only to receive a letter stating that "your driving skills test was not administered in accordance with established PennDOT standards."

"I accomplished so much. I already had my car. I'm in the process of going back to school. My life together and then just a bump in the road," Hardaway said.

She said she struggled to get answers. "I kept calling them. I left messages, probably like five messages, before they responded back to me," she said.

Hardaway said PennDOT told her the issue involved a driving examiner and possible fraud.

The agency confirmed to the Action News Investigative Team that the problem was tied to driving skills tests conducted at its center on the 2900 block of S. 70th Street in Southwest Philadelphia.

It said the affected drivers were tested between October 2024 and November 2025 and that a criminal investigation had been launched, though it did not identify the investigating agency to Action News.

"I feel like that's not fair. We shouldn't be having to take our tests all over again because of a mistake on your end," Hardaway said.

State police later told the Investigative Team they investigated but found no criminality.

After initially declining to explain what went wrong, PennDOT said an audit uncovered "irregularities that existed in the amount of time lapsed between the testing start and end times."

The agency said an internal review is ongoing.

Hardaway said the retesting process has been disruptive.

"I had to call off work, and I had my fiancé call out for work to take me. When I went to the Media location, I had to call off work also. And he called off work. I ended up passing at the Media location."

PennDOT said about 1,600 of the 2,500 affected drivers have retaken the exam.

The agency declined our request for an on-camera interview.