Nobody is checking. They're in private cars and small vans, so they aren't on a tachograph. They're technically self-employed subcontractors, so Amazon has no statutory duty to monitor driving hours. IIRC they're paid per drop rather than per hour. I have no doubt that a significant proportion of couriers are habitually working unsafe hours. In my neck of the woods at least, couriers working for Amazon or Hermes are overwhelmingly a) Eastern Europeans who look chronically sleep deprived or b) semi-retired Brits doing it for a bit of extra cash.

This seems like something, in the EU, that will come back and bite Amazon. They surely know the length of work hours and whether "adequate breaks" are being provided - or don't they manage the final mile logistics? Also the legislation about claiming people aren't working for you seems much tighter now.

There are no EU level regulations on drivers hours for vans, bikes etc, only for lorries (and those have enforcement problems in parts of Eastern Europe which means rogue operators are effectively free to operate across the EU with individual countries unable to take action).

There are GB regulations (which stipulate among other things max 10 hrs per day) but these are not practically enforcable on self employed drivers as there are no tachograph requirements etc.

Oh sure, but it's the wage earned for those hours worked after expenses I have a problem with. And aren't there penalties if the drivers simply cannot complete their delivery runs?