diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ca0624b..51365c4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -39,6 +39,21 @@ my_can_socket->send(frame);
 
 ```
 
+### Time Stamps and `socketcan_adapter`
+
+Each message carries `receive_time` (`std::chrono::steady_clock`) and `bus_time` (`std::chrono::system_clock`), both default to the epoch.
+
+Constructing a message from a [`polymath::socketcan::CanFrame`](https://github.com/polymathrobotics/socketcan_adapter) decodes the frame and copies both time stamps.
+
+```c++
+polymath::socketcan::CanFrame frame = ...;
+my_can_library_name::MessageName message{frame};
+message.receive_time;
+message.bus_time;
+```
+
+This makes `socketcan_adapter` a dependency of `dbc_gen_cpp`, installed by `rosdep install`.
+
 ### Signal Value Maps (Enums)
 
 DBC value tables (`VAL_` lines, and the global `VAL_TABLE_`) map raw signal values
diff --git a/dbc_gen_cpp/CMakeLists.txt b/dbc_gen_cpp/CMakeLists.txt
index fe23ed3..a197a24 100644
--- a/dbc_gen_cpp/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/dbc_gen_cpp/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ endif()
 
 find_package(ament_cmake REQUIRED)
 find_package(ament_cmake_python REQUIRED)
+find_package(socketcan_adapter REQUIRED)
 
 ament_python_install_package(${PROJECT_NAME}
   SCRIPTS_DESTINATION bin
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ target_include_directories(${PROJECT_NAME} INTERFACE
   $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include>
   $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:include/${PROJECT_NAME}>
 )
+target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} INTERFACE socketcan_adapter::socketcan_adapter)
 
 install(
   TARGETS ${PROJECT_NAME}
@@ -50,6 +52,7 @@ if(BUILD_TESTING)
 endif()
 
 ament_export_targets(${PROJECT_NAME}Targets HAS_LIBRARY_TARGET)
+ament_export_dependencies(socketcan_adapter)
 ament_package(
   CONFIG_EXTRAS "dbc_gen_cpp-extras.cmake"
 )
diff --git a/dbc_gen_cpp/dbc_gen_cpp/templates/can.hpp.j2 b/dbc_gen_cpp/dbc_gen_cpp/templates/can.hpp.j2
index 718068d..97074cd 100644
--- a/dbc_gen_cpp/dbc_gen_cpp/templates/can.hpp.j2
+++ b/dbc_gen_cpp/dbc_gen_cpp/templates/can.hpp.j2
@@ -5,9 +5,11 @@
 
 #include <linux/can.h>
 
+#include <chrono>
 #include <cstdint>
 #include <stdexcept>
 
+#include "socketcan_adapter/can_frame.hpp"
 #include "{{ library_name }}/{{ c_header }}"
 
 namespace {{ library_name }}
@@ -54,6 +56,10 @@ struct {{ message.name }}
   }
   {% endif %}
 
+  // Time stamps
+  std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point receive_time{};
+  std::chrono::system_clock::time_point bus_time{};
+
   // Signals
   {% for signal in message.signals %}
   double {{ signal.name }};
@@ -104,6 +110,14 @@ struct {{ message.name }}
     {% endif %}
   }
 
+  // Constructor from socketcan CanFrame, keeps its time stamps
+  explicit {{ message.name }}(const polymath::socketcan::CanFrame & frame)
+  : {{ message.name }}(frame.get_frame())
+  {
+    receive_time = frame.get_receive_time();
+    bus_time = frame.get_bus_time();
+  }
+
   // Conversion operator to can_frame
   operator can_frame() const
   {
diff --git a/dbc_gen_cpp/package.xml b/dbc_gen_cpp/package.xml
index 3649ff8..78db7a7 100644
--- a/dbc_gen_cpp/package.xml
+++ b/dbc_gen_cpp/package.xml
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
   <buildtool_depend>ament_cmake</buildtool_depend>
   <buildtool_depend>ament_cmake_python</buildtool_depend>
 
+  <depend>socketcan_adapter</depend>
+
   <exec_depend>python3-cantools-pip</exec_depend>
   <exec_depend>python3-jinja2</exec_depend>
 
diff --git a/test_dbc_gen_cpp/test/test_dbc_cpp.cpp b/test_dbc_gen_cpp/test/test_dbc_cpp.cpp
index 825a7fb..60e04e1 100644
--- a/test_dbc_gen_cpp/test/test_dbc_cpp.cpp
+++ b/test_dbc_gen_cpp/test/test_dbc_cpp.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Polymath Robotics, Inc.
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
+#include <chrono>
 #include <cstring>
 #include <type_traits>
 
@@ -368,6 +369,37 @@ TEST_CASE("Standard CAN ID mismatch throws")
   REQUIRE_THROWS(fake_vehicle_can::SteeringFeedback{frame});
 }
 
+TEST_CASE("Construct from socketcan CanFrame keeps time stamps")
+{
+  can_frame raw;
+  memset(&raw, 0, sizeof(raw));
+  raw.can_id = fake_vehicle_can::SteeringFeedback::Id;
+  raw.can_dlc = fake_vehicle_can::SteeringFeedback::DataLength;
+  raw.data[0] = 25;
+
+  polymath::socketcan::CanFrame frame{raw};
+  const auto receive_time = std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point{std::chrono::seconds{5}};
+  const auto bus_time = std::chrono::system_clock::time_point{std::chrono::seconds{7}};
+  frame.set_receive_timestamp(receive_time);
+  frame.set_bus_timestamp(bus_time);
+
+  const fake_vehicle_can::SteeringFeedback msg{frame};
+
+  REQUIRE(msg.receive_time == receive_time);
+  REQUIRE(msg.bus_time == bus_time);
+  REQUIRE(msg.angle == 25);
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("Construct from socketcan CanFrame with wrong ID throws")
+{
+  can_frame raw;
+  memset(&raw, 0, sizeof(raw));
+  raw.can_id = 100;
+  raw.can_dlc = 1;
+
+  REQUIRE_THROWS(fake_vehicle_can::SteeringFeedback{polymath::socketcan::CanFrame{raw}});
+}
+
 // ============================================================================
 // J1939 Protocol Parsing Tests
 // ============================================================================