In just two years since it began vehicle recovery work, TPH Autos has become a familiar presence on the roads of West Yorkshire. Its distinctive red trucks are memorable, and it has developed a reputation for the quality of its work among a growing number of customers.

Tom Hannan (inset), owner and director of the company, is a man who believes that taking calculated risks and working hard will pay off. Tom started out as a mechanic, rising to become a master technician at Harrats Honda in Wakefield. But after working there for a decade, he wanted to branch out and started doing car repairs on the side, working out of a Ford Transit Connect on evenings and weekends.

When Tom went to a local garage in Ossett seven years ago, however, the course of his life really changed. He went there looking for a job, but found the owners were retiring and selling up. Not one to let an opportunity pass by, Tom decided to take on the garage himself.

It was a big move, but he was determined to make it work. The business was already established, of course, providing repairs and MOTs for cars, vans and small trucks, so he had a base to work from, and taking on a couple of ex-colleagues from Honda to help, he began to grow the operation.