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Why do Diesel Engines Idle in the Cold Weather?

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In extreme cold for 18 wheelers such as -70 (Anything at +10 and below.) your engine is your life and vice versa.We circulated deisel fuel and a little bit is returned to both tanks, sometimes including tank heaters to fight the man killing cold from turning that fuel to jelly.I recall several runs across North Dakota during storms at -75 outside with a 50+ miles per hour sustained winds and a cab interior temps of approx 40. The gauges that one night showed all of my temps... trans, axles, engine, reefer everything.... at very low values fighting the cold.Things break that cold.Sometimes we had the reefer HEAT the perishables like medicines, drugs, paints etc to keep it safe. Crazy huh? Also that reefer trailer and a cellphone is your last bastion of safety should your truck engine fail. Most company trucks didnt have APUs on board. Some lucky ones did.Fuel is cheap that cold. Run it 24/7.I also remember running the rig back and forth in it's final daytime parking spot for my 10 hours off to pack the snow down and keep from getting stuck when it's time to leave. One other thing, rubber lines between cab and trailers rule in the cold. The plasticy crap breaks at anything below -20 stranding you wherever you might be while turning very tightly.
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