The Checker Cab Manufacturing Company was formed by Morris Markin, who had previously acquired two predecessor companies, Commonwealth Motors and Markin Automobile Body. Commonwealth Motors traced its history back to the DeSchaum Motor Syndicate founded in 1908, while Markin Auto Body was originally named the Lomberg Auto Body Manufacturing Company, founded in the late 1910s. In 1919, Commonwealth introduced the Mogul Taxi, combining a purpose-built taxicab body from Lomberg with the sturdy Commonwealth frame. After acquiring Markin Auto Body, which had previously provided bodies for Commonwealth, Markin renamed it and proposed a stock swap, resulting in the creation of the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company in May 1922.
The company initially produced both the Mogul and Commonwealth passenger cars but eventually focused on commercial sales, introducing the Checker Model C and the Mogul variant, the Model H. Morris Markin is credited with designing and applying the signature checkerboard trim to the vehicle's beltline. The company moved to Kalamazoo in 1923, taking over two factories previously operated by Dort Motor Car Company and Handley-Knight. In 1930, Checkers came in black, maroon, yellow, or canary.
