You must have a very old meter. Most meters these days they don't have to actually read, they transmit a radio frequincy that will tell how much usage. Normally a van just has to drive up and down the road to gather the info.
They are working in Central Ohio to increase the transmission power so they don't have to even drive down the roads, they can pick it up from there office.
But I agree, something has to be wrong with your meter.