* Q2 order intake +16 pct yr/yr vs forecast +15 pct
* Double-digit order growth in nearly all regions
* Q2 EBIT 3.3 bln SEK vs forecast 2.5 bln (Adds detail, background)
STOCKHOLM, July 24 (Reuters) - World number two truck maker Volvo ran up stronger than expected orders and earnings in the second quarter as a demand recovery gathered pace and spread to nearly all its main markets.
Heavy truck markets are slowly picking up on both sides of the North Atlantic as the need to replace ageing fleets bought during the boom years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis overpowers lingering worries about the economy among haulers.
Volvo, the dominant global player in the industry alongside Germany's Daimler, said order intake of its trucks grew by double-digits in all major markets with the exception of Asia, which recorded a modest decline.
"The total net order intake continued on a high level during the second quarter," the company said in a statement.
Despite a lengthy recession in the euro zone, the upturn in demand has seen order books grow in recent months, if from low levels, while a U.S. recovery is on firmer ground after weathering a rough patch around the turn of the year as public spending was culled.
In the meantime, government incentives have created a demand boom in Brazil, South America's biggest economy and a major truck market, while activity in Asia has also stabilised, giving order intake a further shot in the arm.
Volvo, which makes heavy-duty trucks under the Renault, Mack and UD Trucks brands as well as its own name, said order intake of its trucks rose 16 percent year-on-year in the second quarter with bookings in Europe, its top market, up 13 percent.
In its outlook for demand in major truck markets, Volvo stood by its outlook for slight growth in Europe, a stable North American market and strong growth in Brazil.
But the nascent upturn has yet to provide a solid boost to sales and earnings at truck makers. Volvo said operating earnings fell to 3.26 billion crowns ($505 million) from a year-ago 7.71 billion, topping a mean forecast of 2.47 billion seen in a Reuters poll of analysts.
The earnings were stung by a previously announced 900 million crown increase in its warranty reserves. ($1 = 6.4531 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Niklas Pollard and Helena Soderpalm)