I think that CAN-BUS Shield I linked has an Arduino library on Github, complete with examples you can reference, when you're ready for that step. You mention that most of your dev experience is in ...

Developers, engineers and Arduino enthusiasts may be interested in a new open source piece of hardware designed for CAN bus Arduino projects.

– EASE connects Arduino boards, Arduino-like boards, and Arduino Shields for large-scale applications. – EtherCAT supports high-speed, 200 Mbps communication (200x faster than CAN-bus).