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Father and son duo, Bart and Max Watkins, recently traveled to Alaska, the 49th state they have visited over the last three years.

Bart Watkins is a seasoned traveler at the age of six.

Bart takes a picture of a bison on a recent trip.

Bart poses for a picture with a military truck during one of his favorite hauls.

Bart and Max squeezed in a trip to Disney World during a haul in Florida.

Father and son travel the country in big rig

GREEN CREEK—Bart Watkins may only be six years old, but he’s already a seasoned traveler. He and his father have visited 49 states in just under three years.

Bart’s dad, Max Watkins, is a truck driver, and together the pair have traveled 167,000 miles on their trucking journey across the United States. Together, they’ve hauled everything from generators in Oregon to armored trucks from Fort Bragg to Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska. 

“It was a big accomplishment for Bart to make it to the ‘Last Frontier’ at such a young age,” Max says. “The excitement of the long trip was really tremendous fun for him, and he finally got his passport stamped, something Bart told me he had been waiting for his whole life.” 

The father and son duo, who live in Green Creek, started a trucking company, Bart & Daddy Express, and have been responsible for 307 loads of freight since their first delivery in October 2020. 

Max, a retired NC Highway Patrolman, says that he always dreamed of driving a big rig since he was Bart’s age. Once he retired, he followed his dream, and it sounds like Bart may dream of following in Dad’s footsteps. “Bart tells me he also wants to be a trucker when he grows up,” Max says.

“I enjoyed it all, but the big military trucks were really cool,” Bart said of his favorite haul. “I got to see moose, grizzly bears, black bears, horses, bison, foxes, elk, mountain goats and other animals.” 

They’ve also been able to visit mountains and beaches and even squeezed in a trip to Disney World, which Max was able to fit in for the pair during a stopover in Florida. 

Bart’s adventures began at the age of three when his father first took him on the road, but his latest adventure is starting school at Thomas Jefferson Academy for first grade. He was homeschooled through kindergarten, and while school has put a temporary pause on their adventures, they are both looking to get back on the road in the future. 

“School has been a lot better than I thought it would be, but it’s nothing like trucking through 49 states, three Canadian provinces and Canada’s Yukon Territory,” Bart said. “Trucking with my dad is the adventure of a lifetime.”

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