I'm not from the south, but I used to work in warehouses where the summertime was quite hot. I wore a kilt, and it was amazing. This kind of kilt. They're more comfortable than shorts when it's hot.
Every warehouse I worked in either never articulated that we had to wear pants, or they had an actual written policy pertaining to skirts. (usually for office staff). The guys would bust my balls for a minute, but a bunch of peripheral things would usually shut that down pretty quickly.
They don't affect your mobility, and since it's inadvisable to go commando, anyway, there's no issue climbing ladders and whatnot. I always wore lightweight boxer briefs underneath super bright plaid silk boxers so I could be cheeky about the whole kilt thing if anybody did try sneaking a peek.